Electronic system having increased coupling by using horizontal and vertical communication channels

ABSTRACT

An electronic system supports superior coupling by implementing a communication mechanism that provides at least for horizontal communication for example, on the basis of wired and/or wireless communication channels, in the system. Hence, by enhancing vertical and horizontal communication capabilities in the electronic system, a reduced overall size may be achieved, while nevertheless reducing complexity in printed circuit boards coupled to the electronic system. In this manner, overall manufacturing costs and reliability of complex electronic systems may be enhanced.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application for patent Ser. No.13/801,354 filed Mar. 13, 2013, which claims priority to Italian PatentApplication No. VI2012A000060, filed Mar. 19, 2012, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Generally, an embodiment relates to packaging and assembly processes ofelectronic systems that include one or more integrated circuits (ICs).

BACKGROUND

Immense progress has been made in the field of semiconductor productiontechniques by steadily reducing the critical dimensions of circuitelements, such as transistors, in highly complex integrated circuits.For example, critical dimensions of 30 nm or less have been implementedin highly complex logic circuitry and memory devices, thereby achievinghigh integration and packing density. Consequently, more and morefunctions may be integrated into a single integrated circuit die,thereby providing the possibility of forming entire systems on asemiconductor substrate of the integrated circuit die so that highlycomplex electronic circuits may be formed on the basis of a commonmanufacturing process (such as were plural integrated circuit dice arefabricated on a semiconductor wafer and subsequently diced apart).

Typically, upon increasing the complexity of an integrated circuitprovided on a single integrated circuit die, the input/output (TO)capabilities also are increased in order to address the demands forcommunication with peripheral circuits in complex electronic systems.Typically, an integrated circuit die is coupled to an appropriatesupport substrate, for example, a lead frame, with the assembly thenbeing encapsulated within a container or package to provide a packagedintegrated circuit device. The package may impart superior thermal andmechanical integrity to the integrated circuit die and which may alsopresent an appropriate interface so as to provide an electrical couplingfrom the package containing the integrated circuit die to a peripheralelectronic component, such as a printed circuit board (PCB), which inturn may have any appropriate configuration so as to represent a part ofan overall complex electronic system. Frequently used contacttechnologies for coupling the integrated circuit die within a packageinclude wire bonding or direct electrical coupling of appropriatelydesigned contact structures provided on the integrated circuit die andthe support substrate for the package. For example, in the case ofdirect contact, solder balls, solder bumps, contact pads, or any otherappropriate contact elements in the form of metal pillars and the likemay be provided in appropriate metallization systems of the integratedcircuit die in order to establish a reliable electrical and mechanicalcoupling upon attachment to the support substrate.

Although the packing density of complex integrated circuits has beensignificantly increased due to the reduction of the critical dimensions,as discussed above, the volumetric packing density of the devicepackages has not been increased in a similar proportion, since forhigher complexity of the integrated circuits, in which basically a twodimensional complex arrangement of circuit elements is provided, acorresponding highly complex routing system is used in the package so asto finally appropriately couple to a PCB in order to combine the variouscomponents of a complex electronic system. To increase the volumetricpacking density of an integrated circuit package, it has been proposedto provide three-dimensional (3D) die systems, in which two or moreintegrated circuit dies are provided in a stacked configuration within asingle package, thereby significantly increasing the volumetric packingdensity for a given dimension of the package.

The three-dimensional assembly of the integrated circuit dies, however,may require appropriate routing strategies in order to establishelectric communication between the individual electronic circuitsprovided in the various integrated circuit dies. Furthermore, generallythe complexity of the routing arrangement in the package may alsoincrease in order to provide the required input/output capabilities forcoupling the package to other components, such as other packages andexternal electronic components of the electronic system underconsideration. Typically the configuration of the contact structure ofthe integrated circuit dies, which are designed for a three-dimensionalpackage configuration, may also significantly affect the entire designof each integrated circuit die as well as any related processes, such asthe electrical test of individual integrated circuit dies. Furthermore,overall functionality of integrated circuit dies may depend on thecharacteristics of a three-dimensional package configuration, since, forinstance, generally an increased length of electrical couplings mayaffect the high frequency behavior of complex systems, while also thethermal and mechanical constraints may have an influence on the finallyobtained performance characteristics of a three-dimensional electronicsystem.

As shown in FIG. 1a , integrated circuits (IC) 102 a, . . . , 102 d aretypically formed on a semiconductor wafer 101, such as a silicon wafer,or any other appropriate carrier material. Each of the ICs 102 a, . . ., 102 d may include at least one electronic circuit, such as complexdigital circuitry, possibly in combination with memory areas, analogcircuitry, power circuitry, or any combination and the like. Anindividual portion 102 of the wafer 101 may include a plurality ofintegrated circuits 102 a, . . . , 102 d, each of which forming anintegrated circuit die after the wafer 101 has been diced. The ICs areprovided in array form on the wafer 101 with appropriately dimensionedscribe lines 104 separating the individual ICs 102 from each other anddefining the location where the dicing operation is performed toseparate the ICs in to a plurality of integrated circuit dies. Eachintegrated circuit is enclosed by a metal region 103, usually referredto as seal ring or guard ring. The seal ring may provide for mechanicalintegrity during the separation of the wafer 101 by dicing. The scribelines 104 may include appropriate test structures 105, which may be usedfor controlling and monitoring the overall process quality of thevarious manufacturing processes involved. Consequently, at a final stageof processing the integrated circuits ICs disposed on a wafer,electrical tests may be performed by using the test structures 105 (TEG:Test Element Group) provided in the scribe lines 104 and also electricaltests may be performed with the individual integrated circuits prior toseparating the wafer 101 into individual integrated circuit dies.

As a consequence, the integrated circuits 102 are designed so as toachieve the required functionality in combination with a highdie-internal integration density, thereby reducing the overall dimensionof the integrated circuit die and allowing the fabrication of anincreased number of integrated circuits on a single integrated circuitdie. Furthermore, the design and manufacturing flow for fabricating theintegrated circuits 102 on the wafer 101 are optimized such that thefinal electrical tests on a wafer basis may be performed with a desiredhigh efficiency and fault coverage prior to incorporating the individualintegrated circuit dies into an appropriate package to form a packagedintegrated circuit device.

As is well-known, a general electronic system is coupled to the outsideworld by means of couplings/wired channels, such as cables or wires,optical fibers, etc., or by means of wireless channels of anelectromagnetic type. Such couplings allow for exchanging informationsignals and/or supplying power/energy.

At the lowest level of an electronic system, couplings of circuitelements within a single integrated circuit die are established byproviding conductive lines and an appropriate metallization systemincluding vertical couplings or vias and horizontal metal lines, whereinin complex integrated circuits a plurality of metallization layers arestacked in order to provide the required electrical couplings betweenthe individual circuit elements formed in an underlying semiconductorsubstrate. The intercoupling of different integrated circuit dies and ofintegrated circuit dies within a package is typically accomplished byproviding appropriately dimensioned and positioned contact pads, forinstance, at the last the metallization layer of the metallizationsystem of a semiconductor device. Hence, such contact pads representterminals or interfaces, which may couple to any other electroniccomponents, such as a package support substrate, on the one hand, andmay couple to metal lines and vias of the metallization system so as tofinally couple to the individual circuit elements according to therequired circuit layout.

The electrical coupling between a contact pad of the device and a systemcomponent may be implemented by wire bonding or bumps, i.e., protrudingconductive elements used for contact, which are directly coupled to thepad.

In the case of the SiPs (System in package), extremely complexconfigurations may arise due to the complexity of the electricalcouplings of the various parts, i.e., ICs dies, passive components, PCB,etc., of the system. Consequently, great efforts are being made forobtaining a compact contact structure in order to reduce the overallsize of packages that may include one or more individual integratedcircuit dies.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,815,254, which is incorporated byreference, refers to the general issue of packaging complexsemiconductor devices. In this document it is considered an importantproblem that packages of semiconductor devices generally allow access tothe internal integrated circuit die only from a bottom side of thepackage. In particular when providing stacked integrated circuit dies ina package, appropriately designed contact structures are provided.Furthermore, due to the sophisticated manufacturing techniques and testprocedures performed on a wafer basis, generally high-production yieldmay be obtained, wherein, however, upon packaging two or moresemiconductor chips into a single package, any rework or modification ofthe packaged integrated circuit die is typically not possible, therebyincreasing the probability of obtaining reduced production yield in avery late stage of the overall fabrication process.

In order to address the above identified problems, it is suggested inthis U.S. Pat. No. 6,815,254 to provide a package assembly that includesan intervening package that may be coupled to a first package from afirst substrate on the first side of the package and may be coupled to asecond package from a second substrate on a second opposing side of thepackage. The electrical contact from one side of the intervening packageto the other side may be established by bypassing the semiconductor die.That is, an appropriate contact structure is provided within the packagethat allows electrical coupling between two opposite sides of thesemiconductor package without contacting the semiconductor die.

Although this concept may provide for superior coupling within theintegrated circuit package, it appears, however, that the coupling isonly enhanced in the vertical direction at the cost of horizontallyincreasing the dimensions of the first and second substrates in order toallow wire bonding for coupling the integrated circuit die within thepackage to a package substrate and to accommodate the additionalvertical couplings, which provide for the direct electrical couplingbetween the first and second substrates without contacting theintegrated circuit die. Furthermore, a further area may be required forthe routing within the first and second substrates.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,923,290, which is incorporated by reference, relates tomanufacturing techniques that address the demands for increasedminiaturization of components, greater packaging density of integratedcircuits, superior performance, and reduced costs for complex electronicdevices, in particular with respect to portable information andcommunication devices, such as cellular phones, personal data assistants(PDAs), camcorders, notebook computers, and the like. As stated in U.S.Pat. No. 7,923,290, new solutions may be required with respect toconventional semiconductor packages, in which a semiconductor die ismolded into a package with resin, wherein numerous package approacheshave been proposed, such as a stacked configuration of multipleintegrated circuit die, package in package (PIP), stacked packageconfigurations, or package on package (POP), or any combinationsthereof.

Basically, U.S. Pat. No. 7,923,290 proposes a solution in which anintegrated-circuit packaging system is formed by providing a pre-formedinterposer with a through-hole via above an integrated circuit die and asupport structure in order to couple the integrated circuit die with asubstrate positioned below the integrated circuit die and with a furtherpackage provided above the interposer. On the other hand, the additionalsupport structure provides for direct contact between the bottomsubstrate and the additional package without requiring direct contact ofthe integrated circuit die. This is a configuration of the type PoP(Package on Package) and, thus, the area occupied by the package isdominated by the die with the largest dimensions. The presence of thesupport structure increases the dimensions of the package. Moreover, inthis concept all intercouplings are finally rooted to the bottom surfaceof the lower package for being coupled to a PCB. Furthermore, therouting within the integrated circuit die is implemented on the basis ofa TSV (through-silicon via or through substrate via) approach of the“via last” type, which, thus, requires the formation of the vias throughthe entire IC.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,446, which is incorporated by reference, aims atimproving density in packaging so as to allow full performance potentialof intercoupled integrated circuit dies. As stated in this document,typical integrated-circuit packages may contain only one die, whereinthe package is substantially larger than the die, thereby significantlyrestricting the overall packaging density. These conventional packagingsystems based on a printed circuit board with single die packages areinappropriate to provide a desired high number of dies within a volumeand weight compatible with the demands of advanced circuit applications.In order to address these problems, it is suggested in this document toprovide a three-dimensional flexible assembly of integrated circuits,wherein a folded flexible substrate with integrated circuit dies isprovided. According to the proposed solution, mechanically andelectrically functional attachment of integrated-circuit dies to one orboth sides of the flexible substrates is accomplished by using a flipchip technique.

Hence, in this approach, a flexible printed circuit is used for couplingthe various ICs in a vertically stacked configuration. Moreover, in thisapproach, all intercouplings are finally routed to the bottom surface ofthe package for being coupled to a PCB.

In United State Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0187676, whichis incorporated by reference, the problem of reduced coupling insemiconductor packages is addressed by providing a cube semiconductorpackage. The package includes a semiconductor-die module including asemiconductor die having a first surface, a second surface opposite tothe first surface, and side surfaces, wherein bond pads are placed onthe first surface, and through-electrodes are provided, which passthrough the first and second surfaces. Moreover, redistribution linesare placed at least on the first and/or second surface and areelectrically coupled with the through-electrodes and the bond pads. Endportions of the redistribution lines are flush with the side surfaces.

Furthermore, coupling members, such as solder bumps, are placed on theside surfaces and are electrically coupled with the ends of theredistribution lines. In United State Patent Application Publication No.2010/0187676 are described, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, variousexamples of a cube semiconductor package, in which a side surface of thesemiconductor die is used as a contact area coupled to the chip internalcircuit elements by the redistribution lines, which in turn are formedon an insulation layer that is provided on a top surface of thesemiconductor die. In some examples as described with reference to FIGS.1 and 2, the solder bumps at the side surface turn out to be very smalldue to the thickness of the metal of the redistribution lines. Inaddition, the semiconductor diep is separated from the wafer, as alsodiscussed above, so that typically a non-perfect side surface isgenerated during the dicing of the wafer, thereby also restricting thedegree of alignment of the solder bump formed on the side surface. Thatis, the solder bumps formed on the side surface may not be appropriatelyaligned with each other. It is, therefore, very difficult to assembleand laterally couple two ICs lying on the same plane, and such acoupling turns out to be barely reliable, and may carry low levels ofcurrent.

Furthermore, the through-electrodes are made of a conducting materialand extend through the integrated circuit die, without addressing theproblem of an insulation between the through-electrodes and thesemiconductor substrate of the integrated circuit die, which isgenerally conductive with a resistivity of fractions of ohm*cm or more.Therefore, the through-electrodes may form short-circuits or leakagepaths to the semiconductor substrate of the integrated circuit die.

In other embodiments described in United State Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2010/0187676 with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, thecontact area between the solder bumps and the redistribution lines atthe side surface may be enhanced by providing extension parts of theredistribution lines. That is, the extension parts are provided on theside surface of the integrated circuit die in order to increase thedimensions of the contact area between the solder bump and the metal ofthe redistribution layer. However, no electrical insulation between theextension part and the side surface of the integrated circuit die isprovided. It appears that the insulation layer is only present on top ofthe surface of the integrated circuit die.

As known, the wafer may have test structures (TEG) in the scribe lines,as discussed above with reference to FIG. 1a of the present patentapplication. For this purpose, some metal regions may be exposedlaterally at the integrated circuit die after the dicing of the wafer.Consequently, such laterally exposed metal regions may come into contactwith the extension parts, thereby possibly forming short-circuits and/orleakage paths.

Furthermore, such test structures (TEG) are typically formed on thesemiconductor substrate of the integrated circuit die, which, as saidbefore, is usually conducting and is usually grounded.

Consequently, since a proper lateral insulation between the extensionparts and the side surface of the integrated circuit die is lacking, thesystem is unreliable and short circuits may arise with the substrate orleakage paths may form with the semiconductor substrate or othercircuits (portions of TEGs circuits) or between the different extensionparts. Therefore, the system may not work correctly, or may exhibitreduced reliability. Moreover, any technical advice as to how theextension parts could be formed on the side surface is not provided inUnited State Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0187676. Hence,also coupling between an integrated circuit die and a package extendedto the side surface of the integrated circuit die, the solution proposedin United State Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0187676 mayresult in reduced reliability.

Furthermore, in very complex electronic systems including a plurality ofpackages, each of which may include one or more integrated circuit dies,the couplings of the various packages are distributed in the horizontaldirection due to the required routing layout for the various componentson one PCB. The various PCBs are then coupled to each other.

FIG. 1b schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of anelectronic system 100, in which integrated circuit dies 102 a, 102 b and102 c are disposed in corresponding packages 110 a, 110 b, 110 c,wherein coupling of the integrated circuit dies with the correspondingpackages is established by means of a corresponding contact structure106 a, 106 b, 106 c, which is shown in the form of a direct coupling,while in other cases, alternatively or additionally a wire-bond contactstructure may be provided. On the other hand, the various packagescommunicate with a respective PCB, such as PCBs 130 a, 130 b by means ofthe corresponding package substrates 111 a, 111 b, 111 c in combinationwith a corresponding contact structure 112 a, 112 b, 112 c. As discussedabove, in the corresponding PCBs, appropriate horizontal wiringnetworks, which are generally indicated as 131 a, 131 b, are provided soas to couple the various components of the electronic system 100. In theexample shown, the PCB 130 b provides the wiring network 131 b so as toappropriately couple to the packages 110 b, 110 c. On the other hand,the PCB 130 a provides the lateral routing so as to couple to thepackage 110 a. Furthermore, both PCBs 130 a, 130 b additionally includehorizontal routing resources so as to couple to a vertical coupling 132,which is configured enable the coupling of the individual PCBs 130 a,130 b.

Increasing the number of integrated circuit dies in the package helps toreduce the dimension of the whole system. However, the support substrateof the package couples the various ICs in the package to the othersystem components external to the package. This makes the routingextremely complicated, which often requires increasing the number oflayers of the PCB and of the package substrate besides requiring anincrease of the area occupied by the package substrate.

FIG. 1c schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of theelectronic system, wherein the package 110 a includes two integratedcircuit dies, thereby requiring a more complex contact structure 106 aso as to couple to the package substrate. Furthermore, the complexity ofthe contact structure 112 a also increases, thereby also requiring amore complex horizontal wiring network 131 a in the bottom PCB 130 a.Although the overall size of the electronic system 100 in FIG. 1c may bereduced compared to the system 100 of FIG. 1b , increased complexity ofthe PCB 130 a may render this solution less attractive.

Current packaging architectures are limited due to the fact that thecoupling of the integrated circuit dies and the package develops in thevertical direction, and this often requires the routing between thevarious packages to increase in a substantially horizontal direction.Indeed, all intercouplings are brought to the bottom surface of thepackage for being coupled to a PCB and, when necessary, a part ofintercouplings is also routed to the top surface for being coupled to anupper package (PoP).

Furthermore, for coupling the various PCBs, couplers and cables are usedwhich increase the volume of the total system. Hence, with increasingcomplexity of the electronic system, the volume of the system mayincrease even in an over-proportional manner.

Also in the case of 3D integration in integrated circuit dies by meansof TSV, the coupling of the various ICs is extended in a verticaldirection.

FIG. 1d schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of anelectronic system 100, in which a plurality of integrated circuit dies102 a, 102 b, 102 c are directly coupled by forming a verticallyarranged stack of integrated circuit dies, which may bonded to eachother face to face or face to back or back to back, and the like. In theexample shown, the integrated circuit die 102 a includes a semiconductorsubstrate 108 a, above which is provided an appropriate multilevelmetallization system which is bonded to the integrated circuit die 102b, i.e., to the metallization system of the die, thereby establishing aface to face coupling. On the other hand, the substrate 108 b of theintegrated circuit die 102 b includes an appropriate contact structurecoupling to the metallization system and also to the bottom of thethinned semiconductor substrate 108 b so as to couple to themetallization system of the integrated circuit die 102 c, therebyimplementing a face-to-back coupling. On the other hand, an appropriatecontact structure on the basis of through-hole vias 106 v may also bepresent at the back side of the thinned semiconductor substrate 108 ofthe integrated circuit die 102 c, thereby enabling coupling to acorresponding package substrate.

Summarizing the above-described approaches that may be encountered inconventional electronic systems, it may be pointed out that generally,coupling in the packaging develops in a vertical direction, whereas inthe PCBs the coupling increases in complexity in a horizontal direction,while in some cases the coupling provided on the basis of a side surfaceof an IC may suffer from reduced production yield and reliability.

SUMMARY

An embodiment further reduces the dimensions of a generic, inparticular, of complex electronic, system by increasing the coupling ofthe ICs and/or of the packages.

Generally, an embodiment provides electronic systems and correspondingmanufacturing techniques, in which coupling of integrated circuits (ICs)and/or packages used for accommodating the integrated circuits isincreased by designing the components such that coupling is impartedboth in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction, therebyrealizing communication between integrated-circuit dies, betweenintegrated-circuit dies and a package, and between a plurality ofpackages in a three-dimensional configuration.

Currently, coupling of ICs and packages develops on major surfaces withsome less reliable approaches using a side surface of an integratedcircuit die, as discussed above, while an embodiment relates to systemsand techniques in which the other surfaces of the IC and the package areinvolved.

Thus, ICs and packages are provided which are able to communicate witheach other by means of wired lines and/or electromagnetic waves, i.e.,wireless links, and such ICs and the package will be arranged above,below, and laterally next to each other. In this manner, the wholeelectronic system is to be imagined in three dimensions. Therefore,coupling of ICs and packages will evolve from two-dimensional (2D) to3D, i.e., from a basically planar configuration to a volumetricconfiguration. Consequently, the ICs and the package(s) will be able tocouple to other ICs and packages while taking advantage, in addition ofthe conventionally used bottom surface and top surface, of their entireside surfaces or, at least, a part of them.

In particular, an embodiment of an electronic system includes anintegrated-circuit die including a semiconductor substrate and having adie top surface, an oppositely arranged die bottom surface, and a dieside surface. Furthermore, the electronic system includes a packageaccommodating the integrated-circuit die and includes a package topsurface, a package bottom surface, and a package side surface. Moreover,the electronic system includes a communication mechanism including acommunication pad formed in an insulating material above the die sidesurface and/or the package side surface, wherein the communication padis electrically insulated from at least the semiconductor substrate bythe insulating material. The communication mechanism further includes acommunication structure so as to communicatively couple to thecommunication pad.

According to an embodiment, the side surface of an integrated-circuitdie and/or of a package accommodating one or more integrated-circuitdies is used as a communication interface in a system internalcommunication mechanism for communicating with other semiconductor diesand/or packages. Contrary to conventional approaches discussed above,the communication pad and the associated communication structure areappropriately formed in the insulating material in order to ensurereliable insulation of the communication pad and the communicationstructure at least from the semiconductor substrate of theintegrated-circuit die. In this manner, signal exchange and/or powerexchange with a metallization system of the integrated circuit die maybe established on the basis of the communication structure so that thecommunication pad formed above the side surface of the integratedcircuit die and/or the package may be used as a terminal of a signalpath or a power line, which is able to provide a coupling to a furtherintegrated circuit die and/or a further package. In one illustrativeembodiment, the insulating material is formed on the integrated circuitdie top surface and/or the integrated circuit die bottom surface andextends above at least a portion of the integrated circuit die sidesurface. In this configuration the insulating material is, for instance,in direct contact with a metallization system of the integrated circuitdie, for instance provided on the front side or at the back side of theintegrated circuit die, thereby ensuring a reliable contact with atleast a part of circuitry provided in the integrated circuit die. Thecommunication structure provided in the insulating material may thuscommunicate with any internal circuitry by means of direct contact,using any appropriate contact structure in the metallization systemtogether with appropriately sized and positioned contact pads in theinsulating material, or by means of wireless communication channels,such as capacitive or inductive coupling, by means of radio frequency(RF) signals, or by means of optical signals.

In some illustrative embodiments, the insulating material may beprovided in the form of a flexible material, such as appropriate polymermaterials, in which conductive regions may be incorporated so as todefine conductors and appropriate contact or communication pads in orderto couple to the metallization system of the integrated circuit die onthe one hand and couple to at least the communication pad provided abovethe side surface of the integrated circuit die on the other hand. Forexample, the insulating material may be formed as an appropriate layerstack including conductive regions in order to provide the communicationstructure and the communication pad, thereby allowing the application ofwell-established semiconductor manufacturing techniques. The finalgeometric configuration may then be established after separating thewafer into individual integrated circuit dies, while preservingelectrical and mechanical integrity of the communication pad and thecommunication structure. In other cases, any other appropriateinsulating material may be used, which may be brought into a desiredgeometric configuration after providing the individual integratedcircuit dies, for instance by applying heat-forming techniques, and thelike, thereby also ensuring integrity of the basic integrated circuitdie while enabling a reliable and approximately exact positioning of thecommunication pad above the side surface of the integrated circuit die.

In still other illustrative embodiments, the insulating material mayinclude optically active channels, such as waveguides and associatedoptical components in order to guide optical signals from dedicatedlocations within the integrated circuit die to the communication pad viathe communication structure. In this case, the insulating material maypreserve mechanical integrity of the integrated circuit die and may alsoensure optical and mechanical characteristics for reliably exchangingoptical signals between the communication pad and the integrated circuitdie.

In an illustrative embodiment, the communication structure in theinsulating material includes a conductive line extending from a contactpad formed above the integrated circuit die bottom surface or theintegrated circuit die top surface to the communication pad. Hence, areliable electrical coupling is established in the communicationstructure between a contact pad, which may thus allow efficientelectrical contact to the integrated circuit die, for instance to afront-side metallization or a back-side metallization, and thecommunication pad.

In an illustrative embodiment, the communication pad has formed thereona conductive contact material configured to enable direct electrical andmechanical contact to the package. In this embodiment, the conductivecontact material may be provided in the form of a ball-shaped soldermaterial, a conductive adhesive, and the like, thereby realizing adirect mechanical and electrical contact with the package. In othercases, any other appropriate configuration of the conductive material isprovided, for instance in the form of a bump or pillar or wire so as toestablish an electrical contact by soldering and the like.

In an embodiment, the electronic system further includes a secondintegrated-circuit die including a second communication pad formed abovea die side surface of the second integrated-circuit die, wherein theintegrated-circuit die and the second integrated-circuit die arearranged to communicate with each other. An advantageous concept ofproviding a reliable communication by means of the communication padformed above the side surface may thus be used in more complexelectronic systems, thereby reducing the overall volume of theelectronic system without compromising the inter-die communicationand/or the die-package communication, while also reducing complexity ofthe routing of any PCBs, which may couple to the one or more packages ofthe electronic system.

In an illustrative embodiment, the semiconductor substrate of theintegrated-circuit die is bonded to a semiconductor substrate of thesecond integrated-circuit die so as to establish the communication. Inthis case, the die-to-die communication is established on the basis ofany appropriate contact structure provided on the respective back sideof the integrated-circuit dies, for instance using appropriate back-sidemetallization systems in combination with through silicon vias (TSV),while the communication pads provided above the side surfaces areavailable for die-to-die communication with other integrated circuitdies or are available for die-package communication.

In a further illustrative embodiment, the integrated-circuit die ispositioned above the second integrated-circuit die so as to establishthe communication through a substrate of the integrated-circuit die anda horizontal communication pad formed above a die top surface of thesecond integrated-circuit die.

Generally, a concept of providing the insulating material havingincorporated therein the communication structure and at least onecommunication pad positioned above the side surface of theintegrated-circuit die offers a high degree of freedom in combining twoor more integrated-circuit dies within a single package, whilenevertheless allowing superior coupling between the individualintegrated circuit dies and between the integrated circuit dies and thepackage. In the above-described embodiments, basically a stackedconfiguration is formed, wherein the die-to-die communication isaccomplished through the major surface areas of the integrated circuitdies, while still providing for enhanced coupling on the basis of thecommunication pad positioned above a side surface of at least theintegrated-circuit die.

In a further illustrative embodiment, the integrated-circuit die and thesecond integrated-circuit die are laterally arranged side by side andthe insulating material is formed above the integrated-circuit die andthe second integrated-circuit die so as to establish the communication.In this case, the insulating material may be provided commonly for theintegrated-circuit die and the second integrated circuit die so that thecommunication structure provided in the insulating material mayappropriately couple to respective metallization systems of bothintegrated-circuit dies, while at least some of the side surfaces of theintegrated-circuit die and the second integrated circuit die are stillavailable for positioning one or more communication pads in order toincrease coupling with respect to other integrated-circuit dies and/orwith respect to the package.

In a further illustrative embodiment, the integrated-circuit die and thesecond integrated-circuit die are laterally arranged side by side,wherein the second communication pad of the second integrated-circuitdie is formed in a second insulating material and the communication isestablished via the communication pad and the second communication pad.That is, both integrated-circuit dies, arranged in a laterally adjacentconfiguration, may individually be provided with an insulating materialhaving formed therein a communication structure and one or morecommunication pads provided above side surfaces of theintegrated-circuit dies, wherein at least one communication pad of eachdie is used for the die-to-die communication. In this manner, thecorresponding insulating materials and the respective communicationstructures incorporated therein, as well as the communication pads, maybe formed on the basis of design criteria that are specifically selectedwith respect to each individual integrated-circuit die, therebyproviding for superior flexibility in organizing the manufacturingprocess. For example, as already discussed above, the insulatingmaterial including the communication structure and the communication padmay be formed on a wafer basis, thereby providing for a highly efficientoverall manufacturing flow. In other cases, the insulating material maybe provided for a plurality of individual circuit dies of the same typeafter the integrated circuits have been separated by singulation intoplural integrated circuit dies, thereby also ensuring a highly efficientmanufacturing flow, since the layout of the communication structure andthe communication pads is typically adapted only to one specific type ofintegrated-circuit dies.

It should be appreciated that generally, different concepts may beapplied for the electronic system with respect to providing theinsulating material having incorporated therein the appropriatecommunication structure and the communication pad. For example, two ormore integrated-circuit dies may be positioned laterally next to eachother, wherein the die-to-die communication may be established on thebasis of a commonly provided insulating material and the correspondingcommunication structure formed therein, which may thus appropriatelycouple to the respective metallization systems provided in theindividual integrated-circuit dies. In other cases, one or more of thelaterally adjacently positioned integrated circuit dies may be providedwith individual communication mechanisms, wherein the die-to-diecommunication is established by the respective communication padsprovided above the respective side surfaces of the one or moreintegrated circuit dies. Furthermore, additionally a stackedconfiguration may be provided, wherein one or more laterally adjacentlypositioned integrated-circuit dies may be provided per each “level” ofthe stacked configuration, wherein the vertical communication as well asthe lateral communication may be established by means of the respectivecommunication mechanisms including the insulating materials and thecommunication structures incorporated therein. In still otherillustrative embodiments, two or more levels in the stackedconfiguration may, at least partly, communicate on the basis of a directdie-to-die coupling, for instance by bonding particularly stacked diesface to face or back to back or face to back, depending on the overallconfiguration of the entire electronic system.

It should be appreciated that any difference in height or thickness ofindividual integrated-circuit dies may readily be adapted byappropriately adjusting the thickness of the insulating material for theindividual integrated circuit dies. A difference in lateral size of theindividual integrated-circuit dies may be taken into consideration byproviding any appropriate fill material directly between laterallypositioned integrated-circuit dies, if, for instance, a commoninsulating material including the communication structure and thecommunication pad is to be provided. Additionally or alternatively, thefill material may also be provided at the side surfaces of one or moreintegrated-circuit dies prior to actually forming the insulatingmaterial above the top surface or bottom surface and the side surfacesof the integrated-circuit dies.

In a further illustrative embodiment, the electronic system furtherincludes at least one further communication pad formed in the insulatingmaterial, wherein at least one of the communication pad and the at leastone further communication pad is configured for wireless signalexchange. In this manner of communication, the requirements with respectto establishing a communication between individual integrated circuitdies and/or packages may be reduced, since at least for some of thecommunication pads a direct contact between different entities in theelectronic system is not required. For example, if the secondcommunication pad is provided above a major surface of theintegrated-circuit die, vertical communication may be established on thebasis of a wireless communication channel. Furthermore, horizontalcommunication may be established on the basis of a wireless channel, ifthe communication pad formed above the side surface is alsoappropriately configured for the wireless communication.

In an illustrative embodiment, at least one of the communication pad andthe at least one further communication pad is configured for capacitiveor inductive signal exchange. In this manner, well-establishedcommunication technologies may be applied, wherein the configuration ofthe respective pad is appropriately adapted to promote the respectivesignal-exchange mechanism. For example, for a capacitive coupling, thecommunication pad and a corresponding counterpart thereof may have anappropriate conductivity and may be provided with a well-defined lateralsize and with a distance that allows efficient and reliable capacitivecoupling of signals. If required, an appropriate dielectric material maybe provided in a corresponding gap between a capacitive communicationpad and its counterpart. Similarly, for inductive coupling, thecommunication pad may include an appropriate magnetic material so as tocreate or improve the characteristics of the inductive communicationchannel.

In a further illustrative embodiment, at least one of the communicationpad and the at least one further communication pad is configured foroptical signal exchange. In this case, the communication pad representsan optically active area for transmitting and/or receiving opticalsignals, wherein at least a part of the communication structure providedwithin the insulating material is appropriately configured, forinstance, in the form of a waveguide, in order to transfer the opticalsignal to any optoelectronic device in the integrated-circuit die so asto further process any received optical signals and convert electronicsignals into optical signals for communication within the opticalcommunication channel.

In an embodiment, the electronic system further includes a configurablecircuit portion coupled to the communication mechanism including thecommunication pad and the communication structure and configured toenable modification of the communication structure. That is, theconfigurable circuit portion, which may thus represent a programmablecircuit portion, provides for a high degree of flexibility inappropriately adapting the configuration of the communication structurewith respect to the required communication demands within the electronicsystem or at least a part thereof. In some illustrative embodiments, theconfigurable circuit portion may be configured to enable activation anddeactivation of certain communication paths within the communicationstructure so as to re-configure the communication channels within anindividual integrated-circuit die and/or between individual integratedcircuit dies and/or between integrated circuit dies and packages of theelectronic system.

In other cases, the communication structure may include a certain degreeof redundancy with respect to communication channels, wherein theconfigurable circuit portion may then re-select a redundantcommunication channel upon detecting a failure in one or more of thepreviously used communication paths. The programmable circuit portionsmay include any appropriate circuitry, such as digital circuitry, analogcircuitry, RF circuitry, optoelectronic devices, and the like, as may berequired for allowing a programmable reconfiguration of thecommunication structure.

In some illustrative embodiments, the configurable circuit portion isconfigured to enable modification of the communication between theintegrated-circuit die and the second integrated-circuit die. In thiscase, as discussed above, superior flexibility may be obtained withrespect to die-to-die communication.

In further illustrative embodiments, the communication pad is formed ina package side surface so as to enable wired and/or wirelesscommunication with a second package. As already discussed above, in thiscase superior flexibility and performance of the package-packagecommunication may be achieved by efficiently using one or more of thesite surface areas of the packages as a communication path. In thismanner, in highly complex electronic systems including a plurality ofpackages, a three-dimensional communication may also be establishedwithin the electronic system on the basis of the communication padsprovided at side surfaces of the packages.

In an illustrative embodiment, the communication pad is coupled to theintegrated-circuit die by a wire-bond structure. In this manner,well-established contact techniques can be applied in order to establisha reliable communication between the integrated circuit die and thepackage. That is, a direct contact between the integrated-circuit dieand the side surface of a package may be established on the basis of awired coupling, thereby providing for superior insulation between theintegrated-circuit die and the package, while communication padsprovided in the side surface of the package are isolated from each otheron the basis of the dielectric or insulating material of the package. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the integrated-circuit die mayinclude additional contact mechanisms, such as solder bumps, metalpillars, and the like, so as to establish direct mechanical andelectrical contact to other integrated-circuit dies and/or to otherareas of the package, for instance to the bottom surface and top surfaceof the package, as is well known from conventional package concepts.

In an embodiment, the package includes a flexible substrate includingthe communication structure. In this case, the flexible substrateprovides for a high degree of flexibility in manufacturing the packageand contacting the package with the integrated-circuit die. For example,the flexible substrate may include an appropriate contact structure soas to directly couple to the top surface and/or bottom surface of theintegrated-circuit die, while the communication structure incorporatedin the flexible substrate may then provide the required infra-structureso as to couple to the communication pad formed in the flexiblesubstrate and positioned above a side surface of the integrated-circuitdie.

Also in this case the flexible substrate and the communication structureincorporated therein may be configured so as to enable wireless and/orwired communication between the various packages to be implemented intothe electronic system. For example, the communication pad may allow RFcommunication, capacitive coupling, inductive coupling, opticalcoupling, and the like depending on the overall communication regimeswithin the electronic system.

In a further embodiment, the electronic system further includes thecommunication mechanism having a first part formed in the package and asecond part extending to the outside of the package and being coupled tothe first part, wherein the second part includes at least thecommunication pad. The communication mechanism is thus appropriatelyconfigured so as to communicate with components within the package andto enable communication between different packages of the electronicsystem. The communication mechanism may be provided in the form of asubstrate, for instance formed from a heat-deformable material, aflexible material, and the like, which may be provided within thepackage with an appropriate contact structure so as to couple to anycomponent within the package, and which extends to the outside of thepackage so as to be positioned above at least a portion of a sidesurface of the package. Also in this case superior coupling from packageto package may be achieved by efficiently using the communication padformed in the outer portion of the communication mechanism forestablishing a “horizontal” communication within the electronic system.It should be appreciated that any of the above-identified mechanisms forestablishing a communication may also be applied, in addition to oralternatively to any of these mechanisms provided in integrated-circuitdies and packages, to the communication mechanism having first andsecond portions. That is, the communication pad in combination with thecommunication structure provided in the outer portion of thecommunication mechanism may allow for wireless and/or wiredcommunication between individual packages of the electronic system.

In a further illustrative embodiment, the electronic system furtherincludes a wireless-communication structure for exchanging at least oneof signals and power between the integrated-circuit die and at least onefurther integrated-circuit die by using a first wireless-communicationstructure, such as a magnetic TSV structure, formed in theintegrated-circuit die, and a second wireless-communication structure,such as a magnetic TSV structure, formed in the at least one furtherintegrated-circuit die. In this manner, the inter-die communication orthe inter-die energy transfer may be enhanced, thereby even furtherimproving the system internal communication. For example, by providingappropriate inductive coupling mechanisms within the individualintegrated-circuit dies and by appropriately positioning the inductivecoupling mechanisms' signals and, in particular, energy, may efficientlybe exchanged, thereby significantly reducing requirements with respectto power-line routing and the like. In this manner an increased degreeof freedom in selecting an appropriate configuration of a plurality ofintegrated-circuit dies within the electronic system may be achieved,since at least some power-line couplings may be omitted. In combinationwith the additional degree of coupling gained by means of using any sidesurface areas of integrated-circuit dies and/or packages, extremelycomplex electronic systems may be designed without unduly increasing theoverall size, since the volumetric packing density may be significantlyenhanced compared to conventional electronic systems.

In an illustrative embodiment, the communication pad and thecommunication structure are formed as a continuous material. That is,the insulating material may act as a carrier material for receivingappropriate particles, and the like, in order to adjust the overallmaterial characteristics so as to enable “communication” between acommunication “terminal” formed in an integrated-circuit die and/or apackage and a further communication “terminal” formed in a furtherintegrated-circuit die or package, for instance by conveying signalnodes on the basis of inductive coupling, capacitive coupling, andoptical coupling, without requiring specifically defined communicationchannels in the appropriately prepared insulating or carrier material.Thus, the insulating carrier material itself, or at least a significantportion thereof, may act as the communication structure and thecommunication pad thereby providing communication capabilities across asignificant portion of the entire surface of a component within theelectronic system. In order to allow communication with differentcomponents in the electronic system, the communication may be controlledso as to individually address different communication systems within theelectronic system, although the communication channel may concurrentlycouple to a plurality of communication systems. An appropriateaddressing mechanism may readily be implemented on the basis ofwell-known techniques.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a schematically illustrates a top view of a semiconductor waferand integrated-circuits formed thereon as an array separated by scribelines, which may include test structures.

FIGS. 1b and 1c schematically illustrate cross-sectional views ofconventional electronic systems including a plurality of packagedintegrated-circuit dies in combination with stacked PCBs.

FIG. 1d schematically illustrates a three-dimensional configuration,i.e., a stacked configuration, of a plurality of integrated-circuit diesformed on the basis of appropriate through-hole vias.

FIG. 2a schematically illustrates a top view of an electronic systemincluding a plurality of integrated-circuit dies and correspondingpackages, wherein coupling is established within the electronic systemalong major surfaces and side surfaces of the individual components,according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2b schematically illustrates the electronic system in a perspectiveview, thereby more clearly indicating the three-dimensional nature ofthe communication within the overall electronic system, according to anembodiment.

FIGS. 3-1 to 3-4 schematically illustrate cross-sectional views of anelectronic system, in which lateral or horizontal communication isestablished on the basis of an insulating material including acommunication structure and at least one communication pad formed abovea side surface of an integrated-circuit die, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 3-5 to 3-9 schematically illustrate cross-sectional views ofcomponents during various manufacturing stages of the fabrication of aninsulating material including a communication structure and acommunication pad, according to an embodiment,

FIG. 3-10 schematically illustrates a top view of an integrated-circuitdie having formed thereon an insulating material including acommunication structure and communication pads for communication via atop surface and side surfaces, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 3-11 to 3-17 schematically illustrate cross-sectional views duringvarious stages in fabricating an insulating material with acommunication structure and communication pads, according to anembodiment.

FIGS. 3-18 to 3-21 schematically illustrate cross-sectional views ofvarious configurations of an electronic system, wherein a plurality ofintegrated-circuit dies are provided with lateral or horizontalcommunication capabilities on the basis of an insulating materialincluding a communication structure and one or more communication pads,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 3-22 to 3-23 schematically illustrate cross-sectional views of anelectronic system, in which a plurality of packaged integrated-circuitdies couple to PCBs, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 3-24 to 3-28 schematically illustrate cross-sectional views ofelectronic systems, in which communication may be established, at leastpartially, on the basis of wireless communication channels, according toan embodiment.

FIGS. 3-29 to 3-31 schematically illustrate top views ofintegrated-circuit dies including a configurable/programmable circuit inorder to enhance overall communication capabilities within an electronicsystem, for instance by re-configuring one or more communication paths,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 3-32 to 3-33 schematically illustrate cross-sectional views of anelectronic system, in which wireless communication channels are used incombination with incorporation of “external” electronic components, suchas capacitors, inductors, and the like, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 4a to 4c schematically illustrate cross-sectional views of anelectronic system, in which superior coupling is achieved by providingone or more communication pads, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4d schematically illustrates contact structures for horizontallycoupling different packages on the basis of communication pads orcontacts provided in the side surface of packages, according to anembodiment,

FIGS. 4e to 4g schematically illustrate cross-sectional views ofelectronic systems, in which one or more communication pads are formedin the side surface of the package so as to provide forwireless-communication capabilities, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5a schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of a package ofan electronic system including a flexible substrate including acommunication structure and a communication pad, according to anembodiment.

FIGS. 5b and 5c schematically illustrate top views of a flexiblesubstrate, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 5d to 5f schematically illustrate cross-sectional views ofelectronic systems formed on the basis of a flexible substrate,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 6a to 6l schematically illustrate cross-sectional views ofelectronic systems formed on the basis of an interface portion providedwithin and outside of a package in order to increase coupling in thehorizontal direction, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 7a and 7b schematically illustrate cross-sectional views of anelectronic system, in which the communication structure and thecommunication pad are provided in the form of a continuous materialhaving appropriate characteristics for conveying signals, according toan embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, an embodiment increases conductivity within anelectronic system by designing integrated-circuit (IC) dies and/orpackages such that coupling is established both in the vertical and inthe horizontal directions.

It should be appreciated that terms such as “horizontal”, “lateral”,“vertical”, “top, bottom, side”, and the like are to be understood asrelative terms and not in an absolute sense. Hence, these terms are tobe understood with reference to any appropriate reference system, forinstance the semiconductor substrate material of a semiconductor waferor an individual semiconductor die may define a “two-dimensional” planeused as a reference plane, above which circuit elements, metallizationstructures, and the like may be formed. In this sense, the resultingsurface may be indicated as a top surface, while an oppositely arrangedsurface may be considered as a back side having a bottom surface.Similarly, the integrated circuit die may have side surfaces, which maybe formed upon separating or singulating a semiconductor wafer. Similarconsiderations may also apply for a package, which may include a topsurface and then patterned surface and corresponding side surfacescoupling the bottom surface with the top surface. Typically, the area ofthe top and bottom surfaces is greater than the area of a single sidesurface.

Similarly, the term “above, below, on” and similar terms may beunderstood as position information in relation to a reference, withoutindicating an absolute position or direction. In particular, an objectpositioned “above” a specified surface is to be understood as beingpositioned with orthogonal distance with respect to the specifiedsurface. For example, a communication pad positioned “above” a sidesurface has at least one point that defines a minimal orthogonaldistance between said side surface and said communication pad.

FIG. 2a schematically illustrates an electronic system 200, which may beunderstood as any appropriate generic electronic system, including aplurality of integrated circuit dies, generally indicated as 202, suchas 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, 202 d, which may be appropriately packaged,according to an embodiment. For example, each of the integrated circuitdies 202 may be enclosed by a corresponding package, collectivelyindicated as 210, so that packages 210 a, 210 b, 210 c, 210 d may beprovided. It should be understood, however, that a package may includetwo or more individual integrated circuit dies, depending on the overallrequirements for combining the various components into the electronicsystem 200. According to an embodiment, “horizontal” communication,indicated as H, is established within the system 200, while also“vertical” communication is implemented, indicated by V. Thus, contraryto conventional approaches, the side surfaces of packages may be usedfor establishing the horizontal communication H, however, withoutintroducing increased yield loss and reduced reliability. Thecommunication may be implemented on the basis of wired couplings and/orwireless communication channels by providing communication mechanismshaving appropriate communication endpoints and respective communicationstructures, which appropriately couple each endpoint with acorresponding communication channel within an integrated circuit die ora package. In the following, corresponding endpoints may also bereferred to as communication pads having any appropriate lateraldimension and configuration so as to allow communication in thehorizontal and/or vertical direction with other components, such asother integrated circuit dies, packages, or PCBs.

FIG. 2b schematically illustrates the electronic system 200 in aperspective view, wherein the horizontal and vertical communicationpaths are established by corresponding configuration of the individualcomponents, such as integrated circuit dies 202 and packages 210,thereby forming highly complex electronic systems having a highvolumetric packing density, according to an embodiment. As discussedabove, in order to enable in the horizontal communication H acommunication mechanism, at least one communication pad (not shown) maybe provided in at least some of the side surfaces of the components 202or 210, wherein the communication pads and the associated communicationstructure are provided such that electrical and mechanical integrity ofthe components 202 and 210 is reliably preserved. For example, thecommunication pads in combination with the communication structure areprovided in such a manner that a reliable electrical insulation at leastwith respect to the substrate of the integrated circuit die is notdeteriorated.

With reference to FIGS. 3-1 to 3-33 further embodiments will now bedescribed, in which an integrated circuit die receives horizontalcommunication capabilities on the basis of a communication mechanismincluding a communication pad and a communication structure embedded inan insulating material layer or layer system, which may be applied to anintegrated circuit disposed in a wafer or after separating (singulating)the wafer to form individual integrated circuit dies, wherein couplingto the internal integrated circuit components is established by thecommunication structure, which in turn couples to at least somecommunication pads provided in a manner within the insulating materialso that these communication pads may finally be positioned above one ormore side surfaces of the integrated circuit die.

FIG. 3-1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment, in whichan integrated circuit die 302 a of an electronic system 300 isconsidered, which is able to couple to other integrated circuit dies andpackages via all its surfaces. In the embodiment shown, the electronicsystem 300 may include the integrated circuit die 302 a comprising asemiconductor substrate 308 defining a bottom surface B, while a topsurface T of the integrated circuit die 302 a is defined by the topsurface of the metallization system 302 m mounted to the top surface ofthe semiconductor substrate 308, which may establish the electricaland/or optical couplings to components (not shown) of the integratedcircuit die 302 a formed in and above the semiconductor substrate 308 inany appropriate configuration. The integrated circuit die 302 a isformed by the singulation of a fabricated wafer including a plurality ofintegrated circuits as discussed above in connection with FIG. 1a .Moreover, a communication mechanism 350 is provided in combination withthe integrated circuit die 302 a, which is appropriately adapted toimplement horizontal communication so as to couple to other integratedcircuit dies or packages (not shown) of the system 300. To this end, thecommunication mechanism 350 includes a dielectric material 354, which isembedded in a communication structure 351 and a plurality ofcommunication pads 352 s, 352 t. Consequently, the communicationmechanism 350 includes at least one communication pad 352 s that ispositioned in contact with a side surface S of the integrated circuitdie 302 a itself (in particular, the side surface S is the side formedby the wafer singulation (dicing) process and comprise a side of thesemiconductor substrate 308 and a side of the metallization system 302m).

In the embodiment shown, the integrated circuit die 302 a may besandwiched between two support substrates, one of which is a lowersupport substrate or bottom substrate 311 b and the other one is anupper support substrate or top substrate 311 t. The support substrates311 t and 311 b may represent parts of a package 310 of the system 300.Thus, a vertical communication in the system 300 based on the integratedcircuit die 302 a may be established by the communication mechanism 350,i.e., the communication pads 352 t and the communication structure 351,which may appropriately couple to any contact areas of the metallizationsystem 302 m, for instance provided in the form of contact pads 302 p.Furthermore, the vertical communication from the integrated circuit die302 a to the bottom support substrate 311 b may be established by anappropriate contact structure, for instance provided in the form ofthrough silicon vias (TSV) 306 v insulated from the semiconductorsubstrate 308. Furthermore, the vertical communication may be conveyedby a contact structure 312 b provided at the bottom substrate 311 b anda contact structure 312 t provided on the top substrate 311 t. On theother hand, horizontal communication, as for instance generallydescribed with reference to FIGS. 2a and 2b , may be established by themechanism 350 on the basis of the contact structure 351 that couples oneor more of the communication pads 352 s with device internal integratedcircuit components of the integrated circuit die 302 a by the pads 302 pand the metallization system 302 m. Hence, in the embodiment shown, thecoupling to other ICs and packages is accomplished by means of bumps 353s formed on the communication pads 352 s and by respective bumps formedin the contact structures 312 p, 312 t. In this respect, bumps should beconsidered as protruding contact elements formed of any appropriatematerial, such as highly conductive materials in combination with thesolder material, and the like.

In particular, at the side surfaces S, intercouplings are present whichare arranged along one or more rows. The conducting paths start from thepad 302 p of the integrated circuit die 302 a and extend to the sidesurface S of the integrated circuit die 302 a for the horizontalcommunication. Thus, the horizontal communication paths and inparticular the communication pads 352 s are electrically insulated fromsides of the semiconductor substrate 308 and the metallization system302 m by the insulating material 354 so as to avoid leakages and shortcircuits with the semiconductor substrate or portions of circuits to bearranged laterally adjacent to the integrated circuit die 302 a, such astest structures exposed due to the dicing of the wafer, as discussedabove.

FIG. 3-2 schematically illustrates a modification, in which the topsupport substrate may be omitted, according to an embodiment. Thus,appropriate contact elements, such as bumps 312 t, may be arranged onthe pads 352 t so as to allow vertical coupling to other components,such as packages, integrated circuit dies, and the like.

FIG. 3-3 schematically illustrates the system 300, in which contactelements of different configuration may be provided in combination withthe communication mechanism 350, according to an embodiment. In theembodiment shown, instead of the bumps, a layer of soldering material354 s and 354 t, respectively, may be provided on the various pads ofthe communication mechanism 350.

FIG. 3-4 schematically depicts the system 300, in which a plurality ofintegrated circuit dies may be combined into a single package (notshown) so as to allow a complex yet highly volume-efficientconfiguration of the system 300, according to an embodiment. In theembodiment shown, the various integrated circuit dies may be arrangedwith respect to each other in a stacked configuration and coupled witheach other by means of through-hole vias, also referred to as TSV(through silicon via or through substrate via). To this end, anyappropriate technology may be applied in order to form the verticalintercouplings in the integrated circuit dies so as to allow a directcoupling, as for instance shown for the first integrated circuit die 302a and a second integrated circuit die 302 b, which are thus coupled backto back. The vertical intercouplings, i.e., the TSVs, may be provided atany appropriate manufacturing stage, for instance forming a TSV 306 v ina final manufacturing stage so as to extend through the metallizationsystem and the semiconductor substrate of a respective integratedcircuit die, while the TSV 306 u may be formed at an intermediatemanufacturing stage, i.e., during the fabrication of the multilevelmetallization system, whereas the TSV 306 w may be formed prior tofabricating the metallization system of a respective integrated circuitdie. In other cases, the TSV 306 x may be formed from the back side ofthe corresponding integrated circuit die, thereby providing increasedflexibility in appropriately adapting the contact structures of thevarious integrated circuit dies so as to allow a direct coupling, as forinstance shown in FIG. 3-4. Consequently, in this configuration,vertical communication may be established by a communication mechanism350 b associated with the integrated circuit die 302 b and thecommunication mechanism 350 a associated with the integrated circuit die302 a, as is also described above. If required, one or more supportsubstrates may couple to one or both of the communication mechanisms, asfor example also discussed above with reference to the integratedcircuit die 302 a. On the other hand, the horizontal communication isestablished by the corresponding laterally positioned communication pads352 s.

In the following, some generic fabrication techniques will be describedin order to form the communication mechanism as discussed above,according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3-5 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of a wafer 301including a plurality of integrated circuits 302 a, 302 b, 302 c, as isfor instance also discussed above with reference to FIG. 1a , accordingto an embodiment. Hence, the various integrated circuits provided in theform of the wafer 301 may have formed thereon any appropriate circuitryand intercoupling mechanism as is required for configuring a complexthree-dimensional electronic system. In particular, the respectiveelectrical and/or optical and/or wireless intercoupling infra-structureof the individual integrated circuits may be appropriately adapted so asto receive an additional communication mechanism, which enables theimplementation of horizontal and vertical communication with othercomponents of a complex electronic system, as discussed above.

FIG. 3-6 schematically illustrates the substrate 301 in a furtheradvanced manufacturing stage, according to an embodiment. By means of afurther process or post processing, for example, further conductinglayers (not shown) intercoupled by vias (not shown) may be provided onthe wafer 301 by any appropriate manufacturing techniques. Theseconductive regions are buried in an insulating, flexible material, suchas for example a polymer. In other approaches, the insulating materialmay be provided first and may subsequently be patterned so as to receivetrenches and openings, which may subsequently be filled with anyappropriate conductive material, such as metal, and the like. Afterproviding any conductive regions so as to establish the communicationstructure and the communication pads within the insulating material ofthe communication mechanism 350 a, a patterning process may be appliedso as to form respective gaps 355 in the mechanism 350, thereby definingan appropriate lateral size for individual communication mechanisms. Asshown, the resulting gaps 355 are positioned above scribe lines 304,which separate the individual integrated circuides, as discussed above.The patterning process for forming the gaps 355 may be performed on thebasis of any well-established lithography and etching techniques.

FIG. 3-7 schematically illustrates the wafer 301 having formed thereonthe patterned communication mechanism 350, which is brought into contactwith an appropriate support substrate 360, according to an embodiment.Consequently, the wafer with the integrated circuits and thecorresponding scribe lines are exposed for further processing, i.e., forseparating (sigulating or dicing) the wafer 301 into individualintegrated circuit dies.

FIG. 3-8 schematically illustrates the wafer 301 when subjected to aprocess for separating the wafer 301 into individual integrated circuitdies, according to an embodiment. To this end, an appropriate mechanism361, such as a saw or a laser or chemical-etch process, may be appliedso as to remove the material of the scribe lines 304, wherein themechanism 361 is controlled such that undue damage of any materials inthe communication mechanism 350 is avoided.

FIG. 3-9 schematically illustrates the wafer 301 after removing thescribe lines while preserving the patterned communication mechanism 350,thereby enabling a subsequent separation into individual components,according to an embodiment. For example, as shown in this figure, theintegrated circuit die 302 a may be obtained so as to include themechanism 350 a including an appropriate communication structure (notshown) and the required communication pads 352 t, 352 s. In thismanufacturing stage, therefore, the integrated circuit die 302 aincludes lateral appendices, which represent a portion of thecommunication mechanism 350 a to be formed above the respective sidesurfaces of the integrated circuit die 302 a in order to imparthorizontal communication capabilities to the integrated circuit die 302a.

FIG. 3-10 schematically illustrates a top view of the individualcomponent including the integrated circuit die 302 a in thismanufacturing stage, according to an embodiment. That is, thecommunication mechanism 350 includes a plurality of the communicationpads 352 t for providing the vertical-communication capabilities, whilethe communication pads 352 s, which are still positioned in the sameplane as the pads 352 t, are formed in the insulating material atpositions beyond the lateral dimensions of the integrated circuit die302 a. It should be appreciated that for convenience, the communicationstructure that is appropriately configured to couple to the variouscommunication pads and to the metallization system of the integratedcircuit die 302 a is not shown.

FIG. 3-11 schematically illustrates the integrated circuit die 302 a asa part of an electronic system 300, wherein the mechanism 350 a may befurther processed so as to actually impart the horizontal-communicationcapabilities, according to an embodiment. To this end, known techniquesmay be used so as to appropriately fold the flexible material, thusdefining the final shape of the communication mechanism 350 a.

For example, one such technique may be implemented by heat forming 363,in which the lateral appendices are folded by means of a mechanicalapparatus 364 with an appropriate shape. The process 363 is carried outat a temperature that results in a plastic deformation of the flexiblematerial, which is later allowed to cool. According to this strategy,for example, materials based on polyester or polyimide may be used.Alternatively, materials with low elasticity may be used which can thenbe easily and permanently deformed, such as for example PTFE or FEP.

FIG. 3-12 schematically illustrates the wafer 301 having formed thereonthe insulating material 354 of the mechanism 350, wherein the patterningof the material 354 is applied after separating (singulating or dicing)the integrated circuits of the wafer by removing the material in thescribe lines 304, according to an embodiment. In this case, theinsulating material 354 may be provided in the form of an elasticmaterial, which may be cut after the separation of the individualintegrated circuit dies, thereby acting as a support member during theseparation process.

FIG. 3-13 schematically illustrates the wafer 301 according to furtherillustrative embodiments, in which the wafer is cut in a traditionalway, without the layer of insulating material of the communicationmechanism. The various integrated circuit dies 302 a, . . . , 302 c maythen be arranged in a known way on a support (not shown), therebydefining a desired lateral distance D between the laterally adjacentintegrated circuit dies. For example, the final distance D may begreater compared to the width of the scribe lines 304, thereby providingfor superior process conditions during the subsequent processing informing and patterning the communication mechanism. Thereafter, amolding material 365 may be applied so as to fill the space between thevarious integrated circuit dies and provide appropriate surfaceconditions for forming the conductive regions and the insulatingmaterial 354 of the communication mechanism 350. Thereafter, theconductive and insulating materials of the communication mechanism 350may be applied on the basis of any appropriate deposition and patterningtechnique, followed by the patterning of the mechanism 350, wherein themolding material 365 may provide superior process conditions so as topreserve integrity of the integrated circuit dies, while also providingthe possibility of adjusting a desired lateral size of the patternedmechanism 350. Furthermore, by means of the molding material 365 also adesired lateral size of the individual integrated circuit dies 302 a, .. . , 302 c may be adjusted, when the molding material 365 is notcompletely removed but is patterned when forming the individualintegrated circuit dies having formed thereon the correspondingcommunication mechanisms with appropriate appendices, as is describedabove. Thereafter, the final configuration may be obtained by anyappropriate processing, such as heat forming, as discussed above.

FIG. 3-14 schematically illustrates a further modification, in which theintegrated circuit dies 302 a, . . . , 302 c, after being singulated outfrom the wafer, may then be coupled to a communication mechanismincluding an insulating material and a communication structure andcommunication pads, wherein the coupling may be accomplished on thebasis of any appropriate contact structure (not shown) provided in theform of bumps, and the like, according to an embodiment. In otherillustrative embodiments, as shown in the figure, the communicationmechanism may be provided in the form of individual mechanisms 350 a, .. . , 350 c including the infrastructure so as to impart the desiredvertical and horizontal communication capabilities to the respective ICsreceived thereon, as is already discussed above. Thereafter, thecomponents may be removed from the support 360 and the communicationmechanisms 350 a, . . . , 350 c may be brought into the final shape byany of the above-discussed process techniques.

FIG. 3-15 schematically illustrates the combination of the integratedcircuit die 302 a and the associated communication mechanism 350 a onthe basis of the above-described technique, wherein, however, themechanism 350 a may be provided in its final configuration prior toactually coupling the integrated circuit die 302 a, according to anembodiment. To this end, any appropriate technique may be used forpre-forming the mechanism 350 a in the bent shape for attachment to theintegrated circuit die 302 a.

FIG. 3-16 illustrates the formation of the mechanism 350 a on theintegrated circuit die 302 a according to a further variation, accordingto an embodiment. In this case, after the traditional wafer processingfor providing the individual integrated circuit dies, the variousmaterial layers of the mechanism 350 a may be formed by means of apost-processing, such as, for example, aerosol jet printing. In thismanner, the conductive regions and the insulating material may be grownon the integrated circuit die 302 a, wherein the insulating material maynot necessarily be provided in the form of a flexible material. Asalready discussed above, in some illustrative embodiments in any of theabove-discussed techniques a molding material may be provided so as toallow the various integrated circuit dies in the electronic system tohave appropriate dimensions for forming a desired configuration ofintegrated circuit dies and packages in the electronic system. Forexample, the molding material may be used to impart similar lateraldimensions to the various integrated circuit dies, irrespective of theinitial dimensions of these components. In this manner,integrated-circuit dies of initially different lateral dimensions mayefficiently be combined as a stacked configuration while still providingfor desired vertical and horizontal coupling.

FIG. 3-17 schematically illustrates the integrated circuit die 302 a asa part of the electronic system 300, which is still positioned on asupport member 360 in order to form the mechanism 350 a according to anyappropriate technique, as discussed above, according to an embodiment.Furthermore, prior to or after forming the mechanism 350 a, the moldingmaterial 365 may be provided adjacent to at least some side surfaces ofthe integrated circuit die 302 a in order to obtain desired lateraldimensions of the combined component 350 a, 302 a for being integratedinto the system 300. The molding material 365 may be formed on the basisof well-established deposition and patterning techniques. For example,the mechanism 350 a may be provided in its final configuration prior toinsulating the integrated circuit die 302 a and may then be filled withthe molding material 365. However, any other approach may be applied inorder to form the molding material 365 with desired dimensions. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the mechanism 350 a is to be formedso as to take into consideration the final lateral dimensions of thecombined component 350 a, 302 a.

FIG. 3-18 schematically illustrates an example of a compositeconfiguration in the system 300, wherein the integrated circuit die 302a and the associated communication mechanism 350 a have been modified onthe basis of the molding material 365 so as to have lateral dimensionsthat match with the lateral dimensions of a combined component includingthe integrated circuit die 302 b and the associated communicationmechanism 350 b, according to an embodiment. Hence, a stackedconfiguration may be provided, although the integrated circuits 302 a,302 b have initially different lateral dimensions. Furthermore, verticaland horizontal communication capabilities are obtained by means of thecommunication mechanisms 350 a, 350 b. It should be appreciated,however, that any other configurations may be realized, as will also bediscussed below.

FIG. 3-19 schematically illustrates an embodiment, in which a commoncommunication mechanism 350 may be provided for two or more laterallyadjacently positioned integrated circuit dies. In the embodiment shown,the electronic system 300 includes the integrated circuit die 302 apositioned laterally adjacent to the integrated circuit die 302 b,wherein desired lateral dimensions of a combination of these integratedcircuit dies may be adjusted on the basis of a molding material 365, asis, for instance, also discussed above. Moreover, by providing themolding material 365, a reliable mechanical coupling between thelaterally adjacent integrated circuit dies may be accomplished.Furthermore, the system 300 may include a further integrated circuit die302 c, which is particularly coupled to the integrated circuit dies 302a, 302 b. In this example, the vertical communication from theintegrated circuit die 302 c to one or both of the integrated circuitdies 302 a, 302 b may be established on the basis of a dedicatedcommunication mechanism 350 c, while in other cases, any other couplingstrategy may be used, if, for instance, a lateral or horizontalcommunication capability is not required for the integrated circuit die302 c. Moreover, a common communication mechanism 350 is provided forthe integrated circuit dies 302 a, 302 b, wherein the communicationstructure (not shown) is appropriately adapted to the die internalcontact mechanisms, such as a metallization system, in order to transferany signals and/or power from each of the integrated circuit dies 302 a,302 b into the common communication mechanism 350, which thus endows theintegrated circuit dies 302 a, 302 b with horizontal and verticalcommunication capabilities.

FIG. 3-20 illustrates a further variant, in which each of the integratedcircuit dies 302 a, 302 b has formed thereon a dedicated communicationmechanism 350 a and 350 b, respectively, according to an embodiment. Inthis case, horizontal communication between the integrated circuit dies302 a, 302 b may be established on the basis of correspondingcommunication pads 352 s facing each other.

FIG. 3-21 schematically illustrates a further variant of the electronicsystem 300, wherein a complex configuration of a plurality of integratedcircuit dies, such as the integrated circuit dies 302 a, 302 b, 302 c,may be combined to form a stacked configuration by any appropriatecontact mechanism without requiring a communication mechanism asdiscussed above, according to an embodiment. To this end, the integratedcircuit dies may be coupled by direct mechanical and electrical contactand/or by wireless communication channels, and the like, wherein,however, a mechanically fixed configuration is ensured. Thus, verticalcommunication between the integrated circuit die 302 c and theintegrated circuit dies 302 a, 302 b is established without acommunication mechanism, while the vertical and horizontal communicationis imparted to the combination of the integrated circuit dies 302 a, . .. , 302 c by providing a common communication mechanism 350, which thusis formed above the top surface of the resulting stack and extends atleast a significant portion along the side surfaces.

FIG. 3-22 schematically illustrates a complex electronic system 300, inwhich a plurality of packages 310 a, . . . , 310 d are combined on thebasis of respective communication mechanisms 350 a, . . . , 350 d so asto provide vertical and horizontal communication within the system 300,according to an embodiment. Furthermore, the system 300 may include aplurality of PCBs, such as a PCB 330 a, as a bottom PCB, and a PCB 330 bas a top PCB. Due to the three-dimensional communication capabilitieswithin the electronic system 300, wherein, in particular, horizontalcommunication capabilities are provided by the correspondingcommunication mechanisms 350 a, . . . , 350 d, superior coupling may beestablished in the system 300 while at the same time reducing thedimensions of the total system. For example, the routing at the PCBlevel, as indicated by 331 a, 331 b, is reduced, thereby also allowing areduction in the horizontal area in the corresponding PCBs as well as areduction in the overall complexity in terms of the number of layers inthe PCBs. Furthermore, compared to vertical couplings of different PCBs,for instance as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1b and 1c in theform of the couplings 132, which are typically provided in the form ofwireless or conductive couplers, also a significant reduction incomplexity may be achieved due to the vertical and horizontalcommunication capabilities of the system 300.

FIG. 3-23 schematically illustrates a variant of the system 300, inwhich one or more PCBs, for instance the PCB 330 b, may be separatedfrom the remaining components of the system 300 by providing a couplinginterface or socket 335, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3-24 schematically illustrates the system 300, in which one or moreof the communication mechanisms may include an antenna for providing awireless communication channel, according to an embodiment. For example,the communication mechanism 350 a may include one or more of thecommunication pads 352 s in an appropriate configuration so as to act asendpoint or antenna of the circuit 370, which may be appropriatelyconfigured to receive and transmit signals by the communicationstructure 351 so as to allow wireless communication with othercomponents by means of the antenna 352 s. The type of antenna is notlimited to any specific type so that many types of antennas may beprovided, such as antennas of the inductive type or of the capacitivetype or still others. For example, pads 352 s may be used as an antennaof the capacity type and, therefore, the corresponding pad may beconsidered as one of the plates of a capacitor. Hence, this capacitorelectrode may be linked to the circuit 370, acting as atransceiver/transponder.

FIG. 3-25 illustrates an example of the electronic system 300, in whicha plurality of integrated circuit dies 302 and/or packages 310 includerespective communication mechanisms 350 a, . . . , 350 h, whereincorresponding communication pads 352 s are positioned close to eachother so as to enable a capacitive coupling, according to an embodiment.Therefore, the various integrated circuit dies and packages exchangeinformation by means of their respective capacitive interfaces createdby the various pads 352 s. In some illustrative embodiments, thewireless exchange of information may also be established in the verticaldirection between at least some of the integrated circuit dies 302and/or packages 310 by appropriately coupling the respectivecommunication pads 352 t.

In this manner, coupling of an electromagnetic type is provided, sincethe various integrated circuit dies and packages exchange informationthrough electromagnetic waves, or through an electric field or magneticfield only.

FIG. 3-26 schematically illustrates the electronic system 300, in whichat least a part or the entire communication is established on the basisof electromagnetic interaction/communication, as indicated by H and V,according to an embodiment. On the other hand, the various integratedcircuit dies and packages may be supplied with energy in a conventionalmanner, for instance by using wired couplings in the form of TSV, andthe like. It should be appreciated that the wireless communication mayalso be established on the basis of antennas of the inductive type orantennas enabling receipt and transmission of electromagnetic radiation,thereby providing for a high degree of flexibility in implementingappropriate circuitry and other infra-structure into the integratedcircuit dies and packages in order to establish the wirelesscommunication channels. In other cases, the wireless communication maybe established on the basis of optical signals, wherein thecorresponding communication pads may be optically active windows forreceiving and emitting optical signals, wherein appropriate opticalcomponents may be provided in the communication structure so as toenable deflection and guidance of light signals.

FIG. 3-27 schematically illustrates the electronic system 300 accordingto other illustrative embodiments, in which a mixed configuration isimplemented. In this case, some of the integrated circuit dies orpackages are coupled by direct electric contact, in which the integratedcircuit dies are coupled with respective contact elements 353 t, as is,for instance, shown for the vertical communication between thecommunication mechanisms 350 b, 350 c on the one hand and for thecommunication mechanisms 350 g and 350 f on the other hand.

FIG. 3-28 illustrates the system 300, which may represent a highlycomplex electronic system in which vertical and horizontal communicationmay be established by means of wireless communication channels incombination with wired channels, for instance indicated by 353 t,thereby also allowing highly complex systems at reduced size, similarlyas is explained for the system 300 discussed in FIG. 3-26, wherein thevertical and horizontal communication may substantially totally beestablished on the basis of wireless communication channels, accordingto an embodiment. Thus, systems with extremely high coupling may beobtained, thus greatly reducing the length of the links or couplingsbetween the various integrated circuit dies and packages and, therefore,enabling an increase in the frequency of transmission of the signals.Furthermore, due to high coupling, more degrees of freedom in the designof the systems may be achieved.

With reference to FIGS. 3-29 to 3-31, further illustrative embodimentswill be described, in which the superior coupling may even further beenhanced by taking advantage of the vertical and horizontalcommunication capabilities by means of configurable or programmablecircuits so as to create a flexible infra-structure belonging to atleast a portion of a complex electronic system.

FIG. 3-29 schematically illustrates the electronic system 300, in whichsome integrated circuit dies or packages 302 a, . . . , 302 d arecoupled by wired communication channels 357, which may be established onthe basis of, for instance, the communication mechanisms describedabove, according to an embodiment.

Furthermore, some of the integrated circuit dies, such as integratedcircuit dies 302 f, 302 e, 302 b and 302 c may be coupled by wirelesscommunication channels 356, which may be implemented by providingrespective transceiver circuits 370 and by configuring the correspondingcommunication pads 352 s in the form of antennas, optical windows, andthe like, as discussed above, according to an embodiment.

Moreover, various integrated circuit dies and packages have at least apart of their communication capabilities, i.e., cabled and/or wirelesslinks, provided in the form of a configurable arrangement, thus allowingone to define and redefine the routing of the links among the variousparts of the system, depending on the needs and the configuration ofvarious parts forming the system 300, according to an embodiment. Tothis end, respective configurable/programmable circuit portions 380 maybe provided in combination with the actual integrated circuit dies inorder to provide digital circuitry, analog circuitry, and the like, forestablishing, activating, and deactivating at least some of the wiredcommunication channels 357 and/or of the wireless communication channels356. That is, these programmable/configurable circuits 380 may bearranged around the various circuits of the integrated circuit dies andpackages and may be programmed, for example, by means of digitalsignals. The configurable circuits 380 may also include analog circuits,such as electronic switches, so as to be able to process and handleanalog and RF signals. In this manner, the final configuration of thecommunication capabilities of the system 300 may be adjusted in avery-late manufacturing stage, for instance, upon assembling the system300, or may even be adjusted or altered upon completing the heart-gapconfiguration of the system 300, thereby providing for superiorflexibility in assembling the system 300, testing the system 300, andoperating the same. For example, even during operation of the system300, the communication capabilities may be adjusted with respect to therequirements imposed by a corresponding application, in which theelectronic system 300 is used. Hence, for a given hardware configurationof the system 300, the communication capabilities may be adjusted in adynamic manner.

In still other embodiments, the configurable circuits 380 in combinationwith the communication channels 357, 356 or at least a portion thereof,may provide for a certain degree of redundancy with respect to thevertical and horizontal communication capabilities, thereby enabling are-configuration of the system internal communication upon detecting afailure in one or more of the previously established communicationchannels.

FIG. 3-30 schematically illustrates the electronic system 300, in whichone of the wired communication channels 357, indicated by 357 f, mayhave been identified as a non-functioning channel during a correspondingtest phase, which may be conducted after assembling the system 300 orduring operation of the system 300, according to an embodiment.Consequently, due to the configurable nature of the communicationchannels, or at least a portion of, and due to a certain degree ofredundancy due to the addition of communication resources to the system,the system can be repaired, so that the communication between theintegrated circuit dies 302 b, 302 c may still be operated in a fullyfunctional manner and re-established, thereby extending the system'slifetime and improving the system's reliability.

FIG. 3-31 schematically illustrates an integrated circuit die 302according to embodiments, in which also the various parts of theintegrated circuit die 302 may be intercoupled with each other by meansof cabled or wireless couplings, which are configurable or programmableso as to have further degrees of freedom when designing and implementingthe final system, thus allowing the user to address each single circuitportion of each integrated circuit which make up the final system. Forexample the various portions of the integrated circuit die 302, such asportions 302-1, . . . , 302-6 in the form of a memory, digitalcircuitry, analog circuitry, RF circuitry, mixed-signal circuitry, andother components, such as microelectromechanical components,optoelectronic components, and the like, may be intercoupled byconfigurable communication channels. To this end, the integrated circuitdie 302 may include the configurable circuit portion 380, which mayinclude an appropriate interface 381 in order to allow external accessto the die internal communication structure and/or to enable dieinternal re-configuration of the communication channels, for instance onthe basis of a part of the integrated circuit die 302. It is appreciatedthat the interface circuit 381 may be accessed, for example, by digitalsignals or by analog signals, depending on the overall application.

Since the various circuits may also include analog circuits, RFcircuits, mixed signal circuits, and the like, they may use passivecomponents 392 external to the package, for example a capacitor, asshown in the FIG. 3-31, according to an embodiment. Due to the highcoupling of the system 300, such passive components 392 may be arrangedin the most convenient way, for example, by distributing them on thevarious PCBs (not shown) to which the various integrated circuit diesand packages are coupled.

FIG. 3-32 schematically illustrates the system 300 according to furtherillustrative embodiments, in which, due to the wireless communicationcapabilities, the passive components 392 may be also arranged betweenthe various integrated circuit dies and packages of the system 300without reducing its coupling, thereby reducing the complexity of anyPCBs.

FIG. 3-33 schematically illustrates a variant of the previousembodiment, in which a substrate of flexible material 395 may beprovided so as to include antennas and transmission lines in order toenable wireless communication among the various integrated circuit dies,while still enabling the incorporation of the “external” circuitcomponent 392, according to an embodiment.

With reference to FIGS. 4a to 4g , further illustrative embodiments willnow be described, in which the communication mechanism may beimplemented on side surface areas of a package, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 4a schematically illustrates an electronic system 400 including aplurality of integrated circuit dides 402 a, . . . , 402 c provided in astacked configuration, thereby establishing the vertical communicationbetween the individual integrated circuit dies of the electronic system400, according to an embodiment. For example, interposers 420 a, 420 bmay be provided so as to increase the distance between the individualintegrated circuit dies and provide for communication channels in thevertical direction. Furthermore, a package 410 may be provided so as toaccommodate the integrated circuit dies and couple to respective PCBs430 a, 430 b. Furthermore, a communication mechanism 450 is provided,which may implement horizontal communication capabilities for thepackage 410 by providing corresponding communication pads 452 s, forinstance in the form of appropriate contact elements such as leads, andthe like. Consequently, the communication pads 452 s may be formed in adielectric material 414 of the package, thereby electrically insulatingthe pads from each other. Moreover, the communication pads 452 s may beformed above respective side surfaces of at least some of the integratedcircuit dies of the system 400. Moreover, the pads 452 s may be coupledto respective integrated circuit dies by means of the wire bondstructure 406, while on the other hand a coupling to the interposers 420a, 420 b, respectively may be established by direct contact using anyappropriate contact technique. In order to enhance overall contactreliability, the surface of the pads or leads 452 s may be coated withany appropriate material, such as solder material, and the like.

FIG. 4b schematically illustrates the electronic system 400 according tosome illustrative embodiments during various stages of assembly, whereinpackages 410 a and 410 b are initially coupled to an external mechanicalcontact structure 496, for instance similar to a lead frame, which hasone or more levels of leads or terminals to which the various pads arecoupled through wire bonding as shown in the upper portion of FIG. 4 b.

The lower portion of FIG. 4b illustrates the device 400 after providingan additional level in the packages, which may not require a coupling tothe side surface of the packages. After a molding process, themechanical structure 496 external to the packages is removed, forexample by means of sawing, thus leaving the leads or pads only, whichare here made of a conducting material, for example a metal.

FIG. 4c illustrates the system 400 according to illustrativeembodiments, in which various integrated circuit dies and packages maybe coupled with each other both in the vertical and in the horizontaldirection, thus increasing the coupling and the complexity of the finalsystem and reducing its volume.

As shown in FIG. 4d , the communication pads or leads may have differentgeometrical shapes and/or appropriate surface coatings so as to createmechanical structures, which can be fit to each other in order tofacilitate the creation of the whole system, according to an embodiment.For example, as illustrated, complementary geometric shapes forcommunication pads 452 s, 452 c may be provided so as to establish areliable horizontal wired communication channel 457.

FIG. 4e schematically illustrates the system 400, in which wirelesslinks or wireless couplings may also be implemented, according to anembodiment. For example, the system 400 may include the communicationpads 452 s with appropriate configuration so as to act as an antenna,which may be coupled to the corresponding transceiver circuit 470 in theassociated integrated circuit die. In this manner, the pads 452 s mayappropriately be embedded into the dielectric material 414 of the sidesurface 410 s of the package 410. In this case, a substantially planarsurface configuration may be obtained at the side surface 410 s.Furthermore, other wireless communication channels may be implemented,as for instance indicated by 456 so as to provide for vertical wirelesscommunication of the package 410. For example, as also previouslydiscussed, the pads 452 s may be used as a capacitive interface and mayalso not protrude from the surface of the package 410.

FIG. 4f schematically illustrates a further embodiment, in which anincrease of the capacitive coupling among the pads 452 s is achieved byproviding a dielectric material 458 at the respective sides of thepackages 410 a, 410 b, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4g schematically illustrates a further variant, in which at leastsome of the pads 452 s may also be used as an interface of a magnetictype, according to an embodiment. To this end, the pads 452 s are formedat least partly of materials with magnetic properties. For example,conductive soft-magnetic materials may be used. In this case, theassociated wire-bond structure 406 is at least partly made of materialswith magnetic properties and one of its ends is arranged in the vicinityof an antenna 473 of the inductive type, for example, by coupling suchan end to a pad. The antenna 473, in turn, is coupled to the transceivercircuit 470.

With reference to FIGS. 5a to 5f , further illustrative embodiments willnow be described, in which the communication mechanism is implemented inthe form of a package including a flexible substrate material, in whichrespective components of the communication mechanism are implemented.

FIG. 5a schematically illustrates an electronic system 500 including aplurality of integrated circuit dies 502 a, 502 b, which may communicatein the vertical direction by using any appropriate mechanism, as forinstance also discussed above, according to an embodiment.

Furthermore, a package 510 accommodates the integrated circuit dies 502a, 502 b and includes as a portion thereof or inside the correspondingpackage material a flexible substrate in the form of a flexible printedcircuit which provides the lateral couplings of the package 510. Theflexible printed circuit may represent the communication mechanism 550,which may impart horizontal communication capabilities to the package510 and thus to the integrated circuit dies 502 a, 502 b containedtherein. The package 510 may include a single integrated circuit die(not shown), while in other cases two or more integrated circuit diesmay be provided, wherein, instead of a direct-contact structure betweenthe various integrated circuit dies, the corresponding vertical couplingmay be established via the communication mechanism 550 in the form of aflexible printed circuit. In other cases, each integrated circuit diemay individually be packaged on the basis of the flexible printedcircuit, which in turn may appropriately be configured so as to allowdirect or wireless communication with any adjacent package.

As shown in FIGS. 5b and 5c , the communication mechanism 550 in theform of the flexible printed circuit may have several shapes dependingon the application and on the technique/assembly process used, accordingto an embodiment. As illustrated, the communication structure 551coupling the various communication pads, such as lateral pads 552 s, mayhave any appropriate configuration so as to provide for the desiredcoupling. The flexible printed circuits 550 may be provided with holesor with any other appropriate openings 559 so as to facilitate moldingoperations in order to provide for mechanical and electrical stabilityand integrity of the package.

As shown in FIGS. 5d and 5e also in this case, the system 500 with adesired number of packages 510 may be implemented so as to have highcoupling, and the packages 510 may be arranged with respect to eachother in several ways, according to an embodiment. In the example shownin FIG. 5d , the packages 510 are arranged both in a horizontal andvertical direction, such as the package 510 v with respect to the PCBs530 a, 530 b.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5e , in addition to, or alternatively,an adapting substrate 515 may be implemented so as to enable theadaptation of the various packages 510 so as to comply with theconfiguration of the final system, according to an embodiment. Forexample, the package 510 s of reduced height may be appropriatelycoupled to the PCB 530 b by using the adapter 515.

Generally, it should be appreciated that due to communication mechanism550 provided in the form of a flexible printed circuit for at least someof the packages 510, the desired vertical and horizontal communicationcapability is imparted to the electronic systems, thereby also providingadvantages as discussed above, for instance by reducing the complexityof the routing in the corresponding PCBs of the system 500.

As shown in FIG. 5f , also wireless communication capabilities may beimplemented in the mechanism 550 by configuring some of the pads 552 sas appropriate antennas, which are coupled by the communicationstructure 551 with an appropriate transceiver circuit 570, according toan embodiment.

FIG. 6a schematically illustrates a further embodiment, wherein in thesystem 600 communication mechanism 650 may be provided so as to bepositioned partly within a package 610 and partly outside of the package610. As shown, one or more integrated circuit dies 602 a, 602 b may beprovided in the package 610 and may be coupled via any appropriatecommunication mechanism in order to allow signal exchange between theone or more integrated circuit dies within the package 610. Furthermore,the communication mechanism 650 is provided so as to have a firstportion 650 a that may be located within the package 610 and may coupleto one or more of the integrated circuit dies 602 a, 602 b. In theexample shown, the first portion 650 a may couple to the integratedcircuit die 602 b, for instance, by providing an appropriatecommunication structure (not shown) within the material of the mechanism650. For example, a flexible insulating material or any otherappropriate material may be provided and may have incorporated thereincorresponding conductive regions, as is also discussed above.Furthermore, a second portion 650 b may extend to the outside of thepackage 610 and may thus form corresponding appendices, which may alsoinclude a portion of the communication structure and have formed thereonappropriate communication pads (not shown), as is for instance alsodiscussed above in the previous embodiments.

FIG. 6b schematically illustrates the system 600 after the secondportion 650 b has been treated in order to extend above side surfaces ofthe package 610 and thus also above side surfaces of at least some ofthe integrated circuit dies 602 a, 602 b, according to an embodiment.The second portion 650 b may be brought into the final configuration byany appropriate technique, for instance by heat forming, which may beapplied prior to or after manufacturing the package 610. Consequently,the second portion 650 b imparts horizontal communication capabilitiesto the package 610, thereby allowing appropriate combination of aplurality of packages 610 in order to form a complex electronic system.

FIG. 6c schematically illustrates the electronic system 600, in which aplurality of packages 610 a, . . . , 610 d are combined by anyappropriate contact type and are also coupled to PCBs 630 a, 630 b,respectively, according to an embodiment. For example, the horizontalcommunication capability provided by the communication mechanism 650,i.e., by the corresponding second portions thereof 650 b, may enable ahighly efficient coupling to the verticality arranged PCB 630 b, whilevertical communication capabilities of the individual packages 610 a, .. . , 610 d may enable a coupling to the PCB 630 a.

In further embodiments, the PCBs 630 b, 630 a may also be provided withappropriate coupling so as to couple to each other, thus furtherincreasing coupling of the system 600 and reducing the requirement forfurther external wired and wireless couplings.

FIG. 6d schematically illustrates the system 600, in which the wirelesscommunication structure 640 may provide for transfer of signals and/orenergy between at least some of the integrated circuit dies in thepackage 610, according to an embodiment. For example, the wirelesscommunication structure 640 may include a first portion 640 a formed inthe integrated circuit die 602 a and an appropriately positioned portion640 b formed in the integrated circuit die 602 b. The structure 640 maybe formed so as to facilitate energy transfer and/or signal exchange. Tothis end, for example, a magnetic TSV may be provided in thecorresponding portions 640 a, 640 b, where inside the structure 640 anantenna of the inductive type may be provided close to the magnetic coreof the magnetic TSV. In order to further enhance the wirelesscommunication capabilities of the system 600, also the wirelesscommunication channel may be established on the basis of thecommunication mechanism 650, for instance by coupling a transceivercircuit 670 to a communication pad 652 s by means of a communicationstructure 651, thereby providing antennas positioned external to thepackage 610.

FIG. 6e schematically illustrates the system 600, wherein packages 610a, 610 b are positioned laterally adjacent to each other, therebyenabling horizontal communication by means of the wireless communicationpath 656, according to an embodiment. In this manner, complexity of anyPCBs may further be reduced, since a high degree of wirelesscommunication and even energy transfer may be established within thesystem 600.

FIG. 6f schematically illustrates the system 600, wherein thecommunication mechanism 650 is entirely positioned outside of thepackage 610, according to an embodiment. Moreover, the integratedcircuit dies, for instance integrated circuit dies 602 a, 602 b, may becoupled by any appropriate mechanism, for instance by direct bonding, asshown in FIG. 6f , or by any other appropriate contact regime, such aswireless communication, as discussed above. On the other hand, thehorizontal communication capability of the package 610 is still providedby the portion 650 b as also discussed above, but here the mechanism 650is external to the package 610.

FIG. 6g schematically illustrates the system 600, which includes theexternal communication mechanism 650, while package-internalcommunication of the integrated circuit dies may be accomplished bywireless communication paths established by respective antennas 673 andassociated transceiver circuits 670, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6h schematically illustrates a generic package 610 of the system600, in which the various integrated circuit dies of different sizes arecombined in a stacked configuration and communicate through wirelessinterfaces, according to an embodiment. To this end, the generic package610 may be divided into at least two sub-packages 610 a, 610 b.

The integrated circuit dies 602 a, 602 b communicating through wirelesscommunication provided by respective transceiver circuits 670 andantennas 673 may have positioned the respective antennas 673 at anexposed surface area of the respective sub-package in order to promotethe wireless signal exchange. In some illustrative embodiments, amaterial 675 may be present between the two sub-packages, which furtherimproves the wireless communication. For example, the material 675 mayinclude appropriate particles of a suitable type for improving thecommunication between the two antennas. For example, the particles mayhave magnetic properties if the antennas 673 are of the inductive type.On the other hand, the particles have conductive properties if theantennas 673 are of the capacitive type.

FIG. 6i schematically illustrates an embodiment, in which, for instance,the overall configuration of the system 600 dictates a non-alignedpositioning of the antennas 673. For example, one of the integratedcircuit dies may be positioned laterally offset with respect to theother integrated circuit die. In this case, the particles within thematerial 675 may be used to form strips inside the carrier material 675,thereby still providing for efficient wireless communication, even ifthe antennas are provided off axis. In this case, the appropriatelyconfigured material 675, for instance including specifically selectedparticles, may represent a communication mechanism that provides forvertical and horizontal communication.

FIG. 6j schematically illustrates an embodiment of the system 600, inwhich the wireless communication between individual integrated circuitdies may be established on the basis of very complex structures, such asthe wireless communication structure 640, as discussed above. To thisend, each of the associated integrated circuit dies may have anappropriate portion, for instance in the form of magnetic TSV, so as toallow even energy transfer between the individual integrated circuitdies. Also in this case, an appropriate material 675 may be provided atan interface, thereby providing for superior mechanical adhesion ofrespective packages without unduly deteriorating the efficiency of thewireless contact structure 640. For example, soft-magnetic particles maybe incorporated into the material 675 in an appropriately spatiallyadjusted manner so as to improve the coupling between the variouselements of the structure 640. Hence, by increasing the wirelesscommunication and energy transfer capabilities of the various packages,an increased degree of modularity may be achieved.

FIG. 6k schematically illustrates a system 600 in a non-assembled stage,according to an embodiment, wherein the first portion 600 a may have anyappropriate configuration, for instance a plurality of packages orintegrated circuit dies communicating with each other, for instance asindicated by the horizontal communication H. Similarly, the secondportion 600 b may be provided and may have an appropriate configuration,wherein also a desired communication may be established between thevarious components of the portion 600 b. It should be appreciated thatdue to the modularity of the system 600 any appropriate components maybe combined or may be replaced with other components so as to increaseoverall flexibility in designing complex electronic systems on the basisof a limited number of different components. In other cases, the modularnature of the system 600 may enhance the process of assembling thesystem 600.

As shown in FIG. 6l , by bringing the various parts of the modularsystem close to each other, it is thus possible to establish and improvetheir wireless communication, thereby forming a compact, reliable, andeasy-to-repair electronic system, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7a schematically illustrates an electronic system 700 according tofurther illustrative embodiments, in which vertical and horizontalcommunication may be established on the basis of the communicationmechanism 750 including a continuous material that enables wirelesscommunication in both the vertical and horizontal directions. As shown,the system 700 may include a plurality of integrated circuit dies 702 a,702 b including corresponding circuits 770 in combination with antennas773 in order to provide for wireless communication. To this end, thecommunication mechanism 750 may be provided so as to be positioned atleast partially above side surfaces and at least one major surface ofthe corresponding integrated circuit die, thereby enabling the wirelesscontacting of the respective transceiver circuits 770 via the associatedantenna 773. For example, the mechanism 750 may include an appropriatematerial including particles of an appropriate type, as previouslydiscussed, that imparts the desired signal transmission properties tothe carrier material. For example, the base material in the form of anyappropriate dielectric material, such as the molding material, mayappropriately be prepared by incorporating a desired type of particlesso as to obtain continuous areas in the carrier material so as to coversignificant portions of surface areas of the corresponding IC. Forexample, the particles, such as conductive particles, magneticparticles, and the like may be provided within a carrier material, suchas the molding material, thereby providing for substantially continuousconductive or magnetic characteristics so that the mechanism 750 mayappropriately couple to the associated antenna 773. Since any particlesmay be distributed in a substantially continuous manner within at leasta significant and continuous portion of the mechanism 750, acorresponding coupling is established to any adjacent integrated circuitdie or package including appropriate mechanisms for coupling to themechanism 750. In the example shown in FIG. 7a , the integrated circuitdies 702 a and 702 b may include or may be associated with acorresponding communication mechanism 750, thereby providing forvertical wireless communication between these integrated circuit dies,while also providing for horizontal communication capabilities, sincethe continuous material of the mechanism 750 is also provided above sidesurfaces of the integrated circuit dies.

FIG. 7b schematically illustrates the system 700, in which horizontaland vertical communication may be established on the basis of thecommunication mechanisms 750, as discussed above, according to anembodiment.

As a result, an embodiment provides electronic systems, in whichcoupling is enhanced by using a communication mechanism that at leastprovides for horizontal communication capabilities without deterioratingelectrical integrity of integrated-circuit dies. The illustrativeembodiments described above may be modified and varied according torequirements of complex electronic systems, for instance, by selectingany appropriate number of integrated-circuit dies of the same ordifferent type. Furthermore, different types of communication mechanismsmay be implemented in the same electronic system, if consideredappropriate. For example, any such hybrid configuration may include thecommunication mechanism 350, as discussed above, in combination with oneor more of the communication mechanisms 450, 550, 650, and 750.Furthermore, the degree of wireless communication may be selected inaccordance with the overall requirements, for instance in terms ofcomplexity of individual integrated circuit dies, the compatibility withmanufacturing techniques for providing certain types of circuit portionsas may be required for wireless communication channels, and the like.Furthermore, the electronic systems including one or more of theabove-identified communication mechanisms may also readily be combinedwith any conventional contact regimes in order to obtain the desiredhigh degree of coupling within a complex electronic system.

Hence, coupling of integrated circuit dies and packages may beconsiderably increased, thus reducing the dimensions of the electronicsystems, while also reducing complexity of the routing in PCBs andreducing the requirement for complex external wired and wirelesscouplings for coupling PCBs of the electronic system, according to anembodiment.

Due to the superior coupling, the electronic systems may be designed soas to operate at high frequencies, while nevertheless a high reliabilityis guaranteed, according to an embodiment.

Furthermore, the level of standardization among the various integratedcircuit dies, packages and systems is thus increased, thereby resultingin a highly efficient manufacturing and assembling techniques, accordingto an embodiment.

Moreover, integrated circuit dies as described above may be coupled toeach other or to one or more other components to form an electronicsystem, such as a computer system, according to an embodiment. One ormore of the integrated circuit dies may be, or may include, a computingcircuit such as a microprocessor or a microcontroller.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specificembodiments have been described herein for purposes of illustration,various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit andscope of the disclosure. Furthermore, where an alternative is disclosedfor a particular embodiment, this alternative may also apply to otherembodiments even if not specifically stated.

1. An apparatus, comprising: a first integrated circuit die singulatedfrom a wafer and comprising a first semiconductor substrate and a firstmetallization structure mounted to the first semiconductor substrate,wherein the first metallization structure includes a first contact pad;a second integrated circuit die singulated from a wafer and comprising asecond semiconductor substrate and a second metallization structuremounted to the second semiconductor substrate, wherein the secondmetallization structure includes a second contact pad; a firstdielectric layer disposed in contact with the first metallizationstructure and a side surface of the first semiconductor substrate, saidfirst dielectric layer including a first communication pad that iselectrically connected to said first contact pad; a second dielectriclayer disposed in contact with the second metallization structure and aside surface of the second semiconductor substrate, said seconddielectric layer including a second communication pad that iselectrically connected to said second contact pad; wherein the firstdielectric layer is positioned in physical contact with the seconddielectric layer, and wherein the first communication pad is positionedfor direct mechanical and electrical connection with the secondcommunication pad.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstcommunication pad is disposed on a face of the first dielectric layerextending parallel to a top surface of the first metallizationstructure, and wherein the second communication pad is disposed on aface of the second dielectric layer extending parallel to a top surfaceof the second metallization structure.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein the first dielectric layer further includes a thirdcommunication pad that is disposed on an additional face of the firstdielectric layer extending parallel to the side surface of the firstmetallization structure.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the firstsemiconductor substrate includes integrated circuits and wherein thefirst and third communication pads are electrically connected to thefirst contact pad.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstcommunication pad is disposed on a face of the first dielectric layerextending parallel to the side surface of the first metallizationstructure, and wherein the second communication pad is disposed on aface of the second dielectric layer extending parallel to the sidesurface of the second metallization structure.
 6. The apparatus of claim5, wherein the first dielectric layer further includes a thirdcommunication pad that is disposed on an additional face of the firstdielectric layer extending parallel to a top surface of the firstmetallization structure.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the firstsemiconductor substrate includes integrated circuits and wherein thefirst and third communication pads are electrically connected to thefirst contact pad.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising aconductive contact material on a surface of each of the first and secondcommunications pads that is configured to enable said direct electricaland mechanical connection.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thefirst dielectric layer further comprises a third communication padelectrically connected to an antenna supported at least in part by thefirst metallization structure.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thefirst dielectric layer further comprises a third communication padelectrically connected to a wireless communications circuit supported atleast in part by the first metallization structure.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 10, wherein the wireless communications circuit is configured tosupport one of a capacitive signal exchange or an inductive signalexchange.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first andsecond dielectric layers has a uniform thickness.
 13. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the side surface of the first semiconductor substrateis a surface where the first integrated circuit die was singulated fromthe wafer, and wherein the first dielectric layer extends in physicalcontact with said side surface.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe side surface of the first semiconductor substrate is a surface wherethe first integrated circuit die was singulated from the wafer, furtherincluding a mold block in contact with the side surface of the firstsemiconductor substrate, and wherein the first dielectric layer extendsin physical contact with a side surface of the mold block.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein the mold block has bottom surfacecoplanar to a bottom surface of said first semiconductor substrate and atop surface coplanar to a top surface of the first metallizationstructure.
 16. An apparatus, comprising: a first integrated circuit diesingulated from a wafer and comprising a first semiconductor substrateand a first metallization structure mounted to the first semiconductorsubstrate, wherein the first metallization structure includes a firstcontact pad and wherein the first semiconductor substrate includes afirst through silicon via having a first end exposed at a bottom surfaceof the first semiconductor substrate; a second integrated circuit diesingulated from a wafer and comprising a second semiconductor substrateand a second metallization structure mounted to the second semiconductorsubstrate, wherein the second metallization structure includes a secondcontact pad; a first dielectric layer disposed in contact with the firstmetallization structure and a side surface of the first semiconductorsubstrate, said first dielectric layer including a first communicationpad that is electrically connected to said first contact pad; a seconddielectric layer disposed in contact with the second metallizationstructure and a side surface of the second semiconductor substrate, saidsecond dielectric layer including a second communication pad that iselectrically connected to said second contact pad; wherein the seconddielectric layer is positioned in physical contact with the bottomsurface of the first semiconductor substrate, and wherein the secondcommunication pad is positioned for direct mechanical and electricalconnection with the end of the first through silicon via.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 16, wherein the first communication pad is disposedon a face of the first dielectric layer extending parallel to a topsurface of the first metallization structure, and wherein the secondcommunication pad is disposed on a face of the second dielectric layerextending parallel to a top surface of the second metallizationstructure.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first dielectriclayer further includes a third communication pad that is disposed on anadditional face of the first dielectric layer extending parallel to theside surface of the first metallization structure.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 18, wherein the first semiconductor substrate includes integratedcircuits and wherein the first and third communication pads areelectrically connected to the first contact pad.
 20. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein the first dielectric layer further comprises a thirdcommunication pad electrically connected to an antenna supported atleast in part by the first metallization structure.
 21. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein the first dielectric layer further comprises a thirdcommunication pad electrically connected to a wireless communicationscircuit supported at least in part by the first metallization structure.22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wireless communicationscircuit is configured to support one of a capacitive signal exchange oran inductive signal exchange.
 23. The apparatus of claim 16, whereineach of the first and second dielectric layers has a uniform thickness.24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the side surface of the firstsemiconductor substrate is a surface where the first integrated circuitdie was singulated from the wafer, and wherein the first dielectriclayer extends in physical contact with said side surface.
 25. Theapparatus of claim 16, wherein the side surface of the firstsemiconductor substrate is a surface where the first integrated circuitdie was singulated from the wafer, further including a mold block incontact with the side surface of the first semiconductor substrate, andwherein the first dielectric layer extends in physical contact with aside surface of the mold block.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, whereinthe mold block has bottom surface coplanar to a bottom surface of saidfirst semiconductor substrate and a top surface coplanar to a topsurface of the first metallization structure.
 27. An apparatus,comprising: a first integrated circuit die singulated from a wafer andcomprising a first semiconductor substrate and a first metallizationstructure mounted to the first semiconductor substrate, wherein thefirst metallization structure includes a first contact pad and whereinthe first semiconductor substrate includes a first through silicon viahaving a first end exposed at a bottom surface of the firstsemiconductor substrate; a second integrated circuit die singulated froma wafer and comprising a second semiconductor substrate and a secondmetallization structure mounted to the second semiconductor substrate,wherein the second metallization structure includes a second contact padand wherein the second semiconductor substrate includes a second throughsilicon via having a second end exposed at a bottom surface of thesecond semiconductor substrate; a first dielectric layer disposed incontact with the first metallization structure and a side surface of thefirst semiconductor substrate, said first dielectric layer including afirst communication pad that is electrically connected to said firstcontact pad; a second dielectric layer disposed in contact with thesecond metallization structure and a side surface of the secondsemiconductor substrate, said second dielectric layer including a secondcommunication pad that is electrically connected to said second contactpad; wherein the bottom surfaces of the first and second semiconductorsubstrates face each other, and wherein the first end of the firstthrough silicon via is electrically coupled to the second end of thesecond through silicon via
 28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein thefirst end of the first through silicon via is positioned for directmechanical and electrical connection with the second end of the secondthrough silicon via.
 29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the firstcommunication pad is disposed on a face of the first dielectric layerextending parallel to a top surface of the first metallizationstructure, and wherein the second communication pad is disposed on aface of the second dielectric layer extending parallel to a top surfaceof the second metallization structure.
 30. The apparatus of claim 29,wherein the first dielectric layer further includes a thirdcommunication pad that is disposed on an additional face of the firstdielectric layer extending parallel to the side surface of the firstmetallization structure.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein thefirst semiconductor substrate includes integrated circuits and whereinthe first and third communication pads are electrically connected to thefirst contact pad.
 32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the firstdielectric layer further comprises a third communication padelectrically connected to an antenna supported at least in part by thefirst metallization structure.
 33. The apparatus of claim 27, whereinthe first dielectric layer further comprises a third communication padelectrically connected to a wireless communications circuit supported atleast in part by the first metallization structure.
 34. The apparatus ofclaim 33, wherein the wireless communications circuit is configured tosupport one of a capacitive signal exchange or an inductive signalexchange.
 35. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein each of the first andsecond dielectric layers has a uniform thickness.
 36. The apparatus ofclaim 27, wherein the side surface of the first semiconductor substrateis a surface where the first integrated circuit die was singulated fromthe wafer, and wherein the first dielectric layer extends in physicalcontact with said side surface.
 37. The apparatus of claim 27, whereinthe side surface of the first semiconductor substrate is a surface wherethe first integrated circuit die was singulated from the wafer, furtherincluding a mold block in contact with the side surface of the firstsemiconductor substrate, and wherein the first dielectric layer extendsin physical contact with a side surface of the mold block.
 38. Theapparatus of claim 37, wherein the mold block has bottom surfacecoplanar to a bottom surface of said first semiconductor substrate and atop surface coplanar to a top surface of the first metallizationstructure.